Percabeth Story
by shecky1998
Summary: According to someone who enjoys my writing, I should include a summary to attract readers: A series of events in the life of Percy and Annabeth. There's some conflict with some well known characters, some change in personalities, and good ole romance. I think you guys will like if you give it a chance. AU/No Gods/Favorite, and Review if you want (it's definitely appreciated).
1. Ugliano vs Chase & Jackson

Chapter 1:

Percy's POV

Thank gods for summer. Good times with family, friends and Annabeth. Annabeth is the world to me, and I can't imagine life without her. We've tried to spend as much time as possible together during the school year, but it's so difficult. She's in the higher AP courses at school, while I'm stuck in the regular classes. Sometimes Annabeth would come over and help me study for a test, or try to help me get work done, but we'd wind up just fooling around, and kissing. Gods were her kisses amazing. I just wanted my lips on hers for as long as humanly possible, but we had our own lives to attend to. I could see the lust and sadness in her eyes every time we pulled apart. Whenever we said our goodbyes, time would just linger on, like we were frozen in each other's arms. One time we had accidentally fallen asleep on the couch together while watching a movie. My mom was out of town, but Annabeth's parents nearly called the police to report her missing. I had woken up at about 2 a.m. and saw Annabeth dreaming on my chest. I shook her awake, and drove her back to her house, as quickly as possible. Once we got to the door we heard yelling from her parents. She looked at me with worried eyes and said,

"Are you sure I can't stay the night at your place?"

"I want you to babe, but you have to face your parents eventually. I'm sorry." I said as I almost broke into tears. I hate disappointing people. I especially hated disappointing Annabeth. At the end of the day she would forgive me, but I hated making her so upset. So I reluctantly let her go into the house after a five minute embrace and an exchange of sobs and kisses. She walked in, wobbling at the knees out of nervousness. I offered to walk her in at hand, but she said her father might kill me if he saw me after hearing I was the reason for their worries. I didn't argue and stayed outside the door listening to the screams and cries escalate. Her parents weren't violent people but I had the aching feeling that she might meet a new side of them tonight. Once I got back home I lay restless in my bed for a few hours at 5 in the morning the Sandman took his toll on me and I started to drift. Before I lost consciousness I sent Annabeth a text saying, "Call me when you can. Love you Annabeth. 3"

But that was almost a year ago so I think her parents got over that event. This summer was going to be amazing. I got my full license, my own bad-ass car, and all the time in the world. Thankfully Annabeth only lived twenty minutes away, in an area with little to no traffic, so I could pick her up or visit at a moment's notice. One of the first days we had together was arguably the scariest.

Annabeth had called me earlier to see if I wanted to hang out. Of course I did want to, but I wasn't sure when. She told me 5 o'clock which was a bit late in the afternoon to do some things, but our options were still pretty varied. I was so anxious to spend time with my girlfriend that I had gotten ready an hour in advance. Mom was on a weeklong vacation with Paul in Maine. They wanted me to come, but I wanted to stay by Annabeth.

I was sitting on my sofa watching T.V. when I heard a blood curdling scream close to my house. I grabbed my phone, and handy pocket knife, Riptide, along with me in case something bad happened. As I made my way to my kitchen to get the phone, a loud knock came to the door. I was nervous so I had Riptide out and ready for anything. I peeked through the space between the door and the wall, only to jump back over to the door knob. I saw the slightest glimpse of blonde curls, and couldn't be any more terrified. If something happened to Annabeth I would never forgive myself. She stumbled into my arms sobbing the minute a turned the knob, and then I got a better picture of her. Her hair was a frizzy mess, straying in every direction, and her shirt was slightly tattered. The bra straps were hanging off of her shoulders and her panties were hiked up high onto her hips. I closed the door with my foot, and carried her to my bed, laying her down gently. I pulled over a chair and took her hands to comfort her.

"Ca-can I have a- a- tissue?" she mustered out the words in between sobs, and I complied with her needs and handed her a box. After blowing her nose, she told me what happened.

"This guy outside: he- he grabbed my arm and brought me in the building. I tried to fight him but he was strong. He tried tearing my clothes off, and threatened to kill me. I screamed and then he covered my mouth. I managed to flip him over and punch him out cold. That's when I realized I was in your building, and ran up to your apartment." She told the story while holding back tears, but once she finished the water poured down her cheeks. She sat up and put out her arms for me. I sat on the bed next to her and she crawled into my lap, swung arms around my neck, and put her head in my shoulder. I just sat there angry, and scared, but happy that Annabeth was safe in my arms. Then a knock came to the door.

I applied the chain lock to the door and opened it. A man, who was a few inches shorter than me, and much wider than I was, stood behind the door, with an angry expression on his face. It appeared that he was trying to seem worried by the way he furrowed his eyebrows, but his voice sounded annoyed and furious.

"Hi. My name's Gabe Ugliano. Have you seen my daughter? She's about this tall, and has long, curly, blonde hair. I saw her not too long ago, and now she's disappeared."

Once the man finished speaking I noticed that he had a black eye forming from a punch. I knew that this was the guy who tried to hurt Annabeth. I was filled with anger and fury, but I contained myself and came up with a devious plan.

"Actually I think I saw her past here a while ago. I'll help you find her if you need it."

"Oh god, you don't have to-"he started.

"Oh no. I insist." I blurted out as I stepped out of the apartment and texted Annabeth to use both locks on the door. I would make sure that this guy never touches my Annabeth again.

I followed the now nervous, and annoyed man up the stairs fumbling for Riptide in my pocket. There's no way I would kill him, but I would scare him well enough that he would think twice before coming back here. Eventually we reached the top of the stairs. The only way to go was to open the door to the roof, of to turn around and go back down the stairs. Gabe opened the door to the roof and walked onto it, and quickly looking around. He seemed anxious now, and almost worried that I would figure out his plan.

"Okay. Nothing up here, so we may as well just stop the search for now. She can survive without me for a night."

"Not so fast." I said quickly with my finger in front of his double chin. "I don't think we have to same ideas here. I know what you really want, and you can't have it." I replied slyly and he squinted his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I pulled out riptide and held it against his throat while holding him against the door, "if you touch my girlfriend again, I'll make sure you never touch anything again." I threatened while glaring at his beefy hands. They looked like rounds of silly putty with small hotdogs coming out of them.

"Who do you think you are, telling me off like that?" He raised his voice and his fist to sucker punch me. I avoided it and kicked him in the stomach. After he fell to the ground he stood up with a mad glare in his eyes.

"I never forget a face meathead. You'll be lucky if you see your girlfriend ever again." He retorted. With that I brought him to the edge of the roof and dangled him over by the collar of his shirt.

"Rethink that for a minute now." I stated boldly while holding him there for five minutes. Soon his grin disappeared and I knew I had convinced him otherwise.

"Alright, punk, I'll leave you alone. Just don't ever touch me again." he started to sound angry again, but still with a touch of anxiety. I turned around and plopped him onto the tar roof and pointed to a fire escape on the side of the building opposite my apartment windows. He dragged himself over to it and began to climb down. I watched to make sure he made it down and wouldn't come back. Once he got to the ground he ran away without looking back.

I got back to the apartment and found Annabeth laying in my bed facing the wall breathing steadily. She turned her head and said with a hint of relief, "Percy?"

"It's me babe. We don't have to worry about that guy ever again. Now I have a question for you. Why did you walk all the way over here? I was supposed to pick you up at 5."

"I wanted to surprise my boyfriend." And with that exchange she slept peacefully. I knew that without a doubt she would be sleeping free of any Gabe Ugliano's or spiders, of which she was deathly afraid. I kissed her on the forehead and went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. 


	2. A Little Place Called Rockaway

Chapter 2:

Percy's POV

It was only a few hours after Annabeth woke up that she abandoned her clothing and traded it for a large shirt I use for sleeping. She asked me to lie in bed with her for a while, so I did. She moved toward the wall, and then began to cuddle up next to me. I put my arm behind her head and she rested on my shoulder, and put an arm on my chest. I had some soft music playing in the background to ensure the peaceful atmosphere of the room. Hopefully she wasn't hurt during the Ulgiano Incident. I would never forgive myself if I let a monster like that hurt Annabeth in any way.

A good sign was that she didn't have any bruises, but how would she react when she fully wakes up? Would she be traumatized, or just brush off the whole thing? Answers would come at another time, but Annabeth was safe, and I was hungry. I ignored my stomach and lie there with my girlfriend, only thinking about her.

About twenty minutes later she patted me on the stomach and said, "Me too." I took that as a sign that she was alright for now, and that I should treat her to some food. She knows me so well, it's scary sometimes. Once we were back in normal clothes we walked to the coffee shop around the corner and grabbed some coffee and sandwiches. I had worked for the owner for a long time and he was close friends with my mom, so whenever I showed up with Annabeth he would give us our food, "on the house." This was his way of telling me to pay it back when I could. He wasn't always busy, and I went often so I owed him my business.

The eatery was pretty quiet except for a few people gathered at a small bar watching a horse race. Annabeth and I shared a comfortable seat in the back of the joint so we wouldn't be bothered. One day the place was so boring, and empty that I etched "PJ + AC" into the wooden arm of the chair, so that way it was our chair, and people usually didn't sit in it because it was out of general view. I enjoyed this time I had with Annabeth. The years we had wouldn't last forever. We're young now, but I want to spend the rest of my life with Annabeth, but I don't know if she feels the same way, so I try to make every day I have with her the best day possible. Activities range from going to Coney Island, a nice dinner, a movie, or just relaxing in my house or her house in comfortable clothes, just watching crappy movies. And would I like sex? Yeah, maybe once in a while, but Annabeth isn't like that, so I respect her needs. We kiss a lot, and at that time there's some contact, but never any removal of clothing. I honestly loved just making out, and feeling her body little by little. It adds excitement into our love life each day, and I couldn't ask for much more. All in due time, Percy. All in due time.

After we ate our sandwiches and coffee we sat in the chair, with Annabeth in my lap, and her head in my chest, I put my arms around her waist and held her tight.

"Percy, I'm okay." She whispered to me with a smile. Like I said; it's scary sometimes.

"Are you hurt at all?" I asked with a concerned tone.

"A little chaffing on my wrist and neck, but that'll pass in a few days. Other than that I'm perfectly okay. Thank you for being there for me, and just…just being you." Annabeth said all of this with an increasingly growing grin, and then buried her head in my shoulders to hug me. I squeezed her tighter, and didn't let go until we heard whispers from the entering crowd. It must be close to dinner time, and all of the people hurrying along the sidewalk must get hungry. I swear, it's like New York City hires these people to walk the streets day and night. With that I gave Annabeth a tap on the back and she blushed so hard I felt my face grow hotter when she noticed the people. She gripped my hand and pulled me away from Jack, and his little deli, and then we carried on in a regular pace back to my home.

Once we reached the door, we were surprised to look at the clock and see that it was only seven o'clock at night. We weren't anywhere close to exhausted, and the summer sun was still shining over the buildings. Annabeth and I grabbed a few things from my room: our phones, my wallet, her bag, her jacket, a pair of headphones, and Riptide. Annabeth didn't really like me taking Riptide with me everywhere, saying that I was being overprotective ad paranoid, but she came to terms with it. And the truth is that I am paranoid. When I was younger, some of the friends I had at school had older brothers involved in some serious stuff: crime, drugs, prostitutes, and weapons. Thankfully they were arrested before they graduated from high school, but right before that, a bunch of drug dealers came to the school, fully armed. Guns, knives and metal pipes were strapped to their bodies and they kept demanding for the guys who hadn't paid them back for their drugs. My teacher, Mr. Brunner, kept a knife with him at all times. He taught in city schools for years, and was prepared for anything. The men came bursting into the room, and he sprung into action. He managed to disarm one of them, but he couldn't fire the gun properly and resorted to his spring blade knife. One of the springs jammed as he went to extend the blade, and he was lost. The one guy held him down, while the other one interrogated him about the kids. If Mr. Brunner didn't comply then he would bash his legs with the pipe he had; first his feet, second his shins, then his knees, and finally his femurs. He used all of his chances, and he wound up with a bullet in the head. We all just sat there and watched in horror. Too stunned to cry, or scream, or run, we just sat there as traumatize kids do. We were held hostage for hours and hours. Finally the SWAT team finally arrived in the building and apprehended the attackers, but they were too late to save Mr. Brunner. He was long gone, and would be deeply missed. I hoped to graduate high school, and see him applauding in the audience, but now that dream would soon become a nightmare. I saw dozens of professionals, who tried to help me, but I was an abnormal case. I had come to terms with his death and the entire incident in a matter of days. The amount of times our apartment had been broken into, acted as preparation for this insane chain of events. But it's also events like these that make me paranoid now, and prevent me from putting my guard down. The only people who can relax me are my mom, Jack with his deli, and Annabeth. I trust them with my life, and I would do anything to protect them.

So once we collected our things, and we had decided where to go, I drove us to Rockaway Beach. Was it far? Yes, but nowhere near as far away as Jones Beach, the Hamptons, or Montauk Point. The drive was took about forty minutes, and we decided to rent a room for the night, so we could spend the day at the beach tomorrow. It was supposed to be really hot, so I'm banking on the weather to see Annabeth in her bikini. We found this place called the Playland Motel, right down the street from the Boardwalk. I paid for the room, and we were so exhausted from the drive that we decided to lay down in bed for a while. Annabeth kicked off her Chuck Taylor's and crawled under the covers. She still had on shorts and a loose t-shirt, so she would be comfortable that night. I, on the other hand, was wearing jeans, and a collared shirt, not knowing that we would be coming to Rockaway at 9:50 at night. I took off my shirt and put on a black tank top I normally used for exercise, but thank gods it was clean, although I didn't bring pants I just stripped to boxers and socks. I lay down next to Annabeth on top of the covers and started stroking Annabeth's hair while she started to doze off. While I was doing that we were just bullshitting about summer plans. Her family said that they had some sort of surprise for her, but she really didn't seem excited about it. I didn't understand why she didn't want to be away from me more often. Even I need a break from myself every now and again, but she was attached to me at the hip…and I wouldn't want it any other way. As much as I give myself crap about… myself, Annabeth is there to cheer me up. She's the moon to my stars, and sun of my solar system. As cheesy as that sounds, I mean every word of it.

She went on to complaining about not wanting to go away with her family, or at least wanted to take me. I was honored that Annabeth would want to take me anywhere with her and her family. Her dad was a historian of sorts, so he knew all of the cool, historic places to travel. We had a conversation about the archipelagoes of the world one night, whilst I was waiting for Annabeth before a date. He's a very smart guy, and we have a good relationship, but his wife doesn't like me very much; or Annabeth. I feel really bad because whenever Annabeth wants to do something, her dad always sides with his wife, and her two young boys. It kills me because Annabeth told me that she used to be extremely close to her dad, but when he got remarried they drifted apart, and his life became about pleasing his wife over his flesh-and-blood daughter.

Annabeth went on to ask me what I had planned for the summer, and, to be honest, I had no idea. I would just go with the flow and see what happened. I was hoping to spend as much time with Annabeth as possible, and to see her whenever she wasn't trapped in her house watching her brothers, or being dragged to a place she has no interest in going.

"I don't really know. I have to cover more shifts at work, because a whole bunch of people already left for vacation, and I need more money. This room cost $145." I said to Annabeth with a comical attitude with my last remark. I really didn't mind spending serious money on my girlfriend. After all, she _is_ my girlfriend. And I feel like that my time with her is more time she can spend away from her brothers and step-mother. I feel I owe it to her, since it would be worse for her leaving her dad's house and spending all of her time alone. When she ran away at seven years old, not only was her dad devastated, but Annabeth was a wreck. She lacked food, shelter, and familiar faces. She reluctantly returned home, and faced her consequences: these of course were harsh due to her step-mother's dislike of Annabeth. I've met her a few times, and I see why Annabeth resents her. She shows no real emotion. She's fake, and is only happy when she's around her boys or Annabeth's dad. I can't imagine that the boys are any nicer to Annabeth than their mother is. I've avoided all contact and interaction with them because Annabeth told me to, and I realized why a long time ago. They were annoying, loud, rude, and overly hyper. Their mother had no control over them, and they didn't listen to any authority, which really bothered Annabeth, because that made her and her dad's job so much more difficult when it came to watching them. I feel like my son might give them the Gabe Ugliano treatment in the future, based on their current actions.

Soon it was late, and Annabeth started venturing into a deeper rest. I went to roll over and make my way for the polyester chair by the dresser on the other side of the room, when Annabeth grabbed my arm.

"Sleep with me tonight, Percy. Please?" she asked me with the brightest gleam in her big ole stormy grays. They were so pleading, and forgiving, and loving, and sad all at the same time, I couldn't resist.

"Whatever you want, Annabeth: this is your escape, and you can do whatever you want with it." I looked back into her eyes with mine and her grin grew ten-fold. I climbed under the covers with her, and wrapped my body with hers; legs tangled, backs wrapped in arms and her head on my chest. And with that we were fast asleep.

That night I dreamed of Mr. Brunner, but not in the usual nightmarish way that I normally do. In this dream, he was younger, but somehow still mature, with caring eyes. He waved at me and walked away into a cave. The cave was dark, but the light of minerals and bioluminescent plants within glowed dimly, and the smell of a sea breeze snuck into my nose. I could feel it pulling me into the cave, and I complied. I hobbled into the cave and was surprised to see so many people, but I only recognized two: Mr. Brunner and one more man. The man seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn't but a name to his face. He had crazy, jet-black hair, and a well developed beard. His eyes were green like the sea, and the way his face was chiseled resembled mine. In fact, every aspect of him, were things I saw in myself. Once I realized who I was looking at, my veins filled with a strange combination of happiness, anxiety, sadness, and closure. Mr. Brunner shook hands with the man,

"He's a fine boy. He has a great life, but I don't believe he sees it yet. I highly suggest you pay him a visit." Mr. Brunner looked in my direction, but almost appeared to look through me. He clapped his hands and the tide came and swept away my dream-state perspective. The next thing I knew, I appeared back in bed with Annabeth, who was waking as well, and I finally felt relief like nobody had ever been able to grant me. I looked down and smiled.


	3. Shine Bright Like Your New Moon Earrings

Chapter 3:

Percy's POV

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Good morning, star shine. The earth says hello." Annabeth said into my chest with a smirk, knowing how I loved her wits. I replied by planting a kiss on her head, and held her close to me. Feeling our pulses regulate to those of the living, and seeing the sunlight slice through the room like blades of magic. I could hear people around us in adjacent rooms, talking, and watching television, as well as those outside getting ready to start the day. I figured Annabeth and I should do the same before I had to pay another $145 for the room. I shook her shoulder slightly,

"Annabeth, we should probably get going. It's almost 11 a clock, and we should claim a spot on the beach before it gets too crowded. Plus I think there's a souvenir place on the boardwalk we can check out before getting sand everywhere." She let out a small groan, but smiled when I started to run my hand along her side. She finally threw the covers off of us, and got out of the bed. I followed, and I quickly changed. All I did was throw on a bathing suit and a t-shirt. As I turned around I saw Annabeth lowering her shorts. I blushed and immediately turned away, pretending I didn't just see her lacey black panties. After what only seemed like a millennia, I heard a giggle behind me, then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I slowly turned to see my beautiful partner in crime dressed in a gorgeous black and white striped bikini.

"Percy, you don't have to be shy. I don't care if you see me in my underwear. You're my boyfriend and we've been dating for almost four years now." She kissed me on the cheek on turned back to her bag to grab a pair of shorts, a shirt, and a hair tie. She looked over her shoulder and winked at me in a way that filled me with so much happiness I felt like I was back in the dream. I love Annabeth, and I don't feel like I say it often enough.

"I love you, Annabeth." I said to her back, with a smile on my face. She turned to me and jumped into my lap, and proceeded to straddle me. She planted a long passionate kiss on my lips and whispered,

"I love you too, Perseus." Annabeth said with a huge grin across her face and glow in her eyes. She wasn't the only person who knew my full name, but she was the only who could do it without being glared at. I didn't mind when she did it, because she made it sound so elegant, and not ancient. I was named after the Greek hero because my father was apparently a full blooded Greek, and loved the history of his home country.

Soon, Annabeth and I were in our flip flops and heading out the door with a blanket, and some bags of beach supplies: food, towels, sunscreen (just in case), and my wallet. There was no way I was going to let Annabeth pay for anything today. I even left Riptide in the car. I felt so relieved and safe since that dream last night that I didn't feel the overbearing anxiety and paranoia that once plagued me. I was a new boy, and I was ready to spend the bay at the beach with the girl I loved.

We walk down the street, watching as the boardwalk grew in size, and the crowds grew louder. When we reached the wooden planks above the sand, Annabeth was in awe.

"When was the last time you went to the beach?" I asked taking a hold of her hand.

"I was at a beach last summer, but I was dragged along with my family, minus dad, so I didn't actually enjoy myself. This'll be the first time I've ever been to a beach and enjoyed it, and I wouldn't spend it with anyone else but you." Annabeth happily replied gripping hand tighter in anxiousness to get on the sand. I led her to an open spot, far enough from the water that we wouldn't get flooded out when tide came in, but close enough that we were within reach of the ocean mist. I felt rejuvenated when I was at the beach. When mom takes me out to the cabin in Montauk I always have such an amazing time. I should bring Annabeth with me the next time we go. I figure out a way to convince my mom, but I'm sure she won't mind. She loves Annabeth like a daughter and always tells me how great of a couple we are. Not too giddy, no too peaceful, and not too argumentative. We were the perfect mix of the aspects in a relationship. Annabeth and I never disagreed with that.

"Let's setup the spot, Perce. I need to get in that water now!" she said with glee while taking off her clothes to reveal her bathing suit which looked even better in full sunlight. I hurried with the blanket, and secured all of our things to avoid being robbed. I learned a trick to be able to bury your stuff in the sand so it's hidden, but it won't get sandy. Its times like that when I felt like a genius, but then I remembered I was with the smartest girl in the world.

Once I got back to my senses I was taken by the hand and dragged to the shoreline. I was about a foot away from the water, when I heard a yelp and felt a body climb inside my chest cavity. Annabeth must have touched the water.

"Holy shit that's cold." blurted out Annabeth.

"It's okay babe. It's a gradual thing. We'll go together, alright?" My chuckle earned me a knock on the bicep, but she agreed. I let her down before the water line, and took her hand. We walked slowly towards the water, and I immediately felt that refreshing effects of the cold Atlantic water. I was filled with more energy than I had before, but Annabeth still remained nervous. I walked backward and put my arm around her waist to reassure her safety. She put her arm around me, and we walked at a faster pace into the water, until we were waist deep in water. Annabeth looked at me with a smile and let go of my waist. She threw herself in the water and was completely submerged. She reappeared with moist, salty skin, darker hair, and that same smile she had when she left me. I took this opportunity to dive into the oncoming wave and reappeared with crazier, flat hair. Thankfully the sun wasn't as strong in this area, so we didn't need lotion. We waded farther into the ocean splashing water at each other and laughing like kids. About an hour passed by when I heard Annabeth's stomach growling. I picked her up and brought her back to the blanket, and proceeded to dig through our bag in search of my wallet.

"I'm really proud of you, Percy." Annabeth called to me.

"Why's that?"

"You left Riptide in the car. That's a big step. Plus you seem happier than normal; more lively and active. Did you finally get a good night's sleep? I know that I did." she answered with a wink. I wasn't going to make her sit here and listen to my dream, while we should be enjoying ourselves. I decided to tell her later that night when we came back.

"I did. I think you helped with that a lot." I smiled at her, and got a blush and giggle in return, which only made me smile more.

"Anytime you want help, just let me know." she replied playfully.

I took my wallet out of my bag, and placed it in a pocket in my swim suit, then took Annabeth's hand as we walked the boardwalk. I noticed guys staring at her and whispering things about her, but honestly I didn't care. I knew Annabeth wouldn't cheat on me, and I took it as a compliment. If they thought Annabeth was gorgeous enough to stare and gawk at, then everyone around me knew how beautiful she was. Although I was a little jealous when guys would begin flirting with her while we were out together, I resisted my urges to tell them off. I figured that the unwanted attention wouldn't be appreciated very much by Annabeth. As we walked down the walk, we saw many little shops along the side with cheap souvenirs, expensive souvenirs, painted shells, and food. My favorite part of the beach is getting to eat really sloppy food, and not caring. We stopped off at a hotdog place, and I got a hotdog with bacon and cheese, with cheese fries. Annabeth got a dog with sauerkraut and relish, but wanted to share the fries with me. We sat down at a table by the edge of the walk that overlooked to beach and all of its residence for the day. Once we finished eating, and commenting about the variety of people on the beach, I took her hand and we just sat there for a while.

It was probably at this moment that I realized I truly loved Annabeth. She was the best thing in my life, and I wanted her to be there forever. I could hold her hand until they day I died, and never do anything else. Of course not doing anything but maintain contact of skin would most likely bring an untimely death, but my point stands. _I love you, Annabeth Chase._ The words barreled through my head like a stampede of euphoric rhinos. At least, I _thought_ they were in my head.

"What was that, Percy?" said Annabeth as she turned her head to see me still staring into the distance. What would I do now? She already heard me say something, so there was no turning back. I had to say something fast.

"I love you, Annabeth Chase."

"I know you do Percy. And I love you. We've exchanged our love verbally for quite some time now." she answered followed by a short giggle.

"No, no. This is different. I feel so different today…" I stopped myself because I didn't want to explain the dream I still didn't fully understand. Would the man from the dream actually visit me somehow? Would I run up to him and see his heart warming face walking towards me on the boardwalk? It was very unlikely, but so were my chances with Annabeth before we started dating, and look where we are now.

"Percy, did something happen last night that you're keeping from me?" Annabeth asked with a raised brow.

"Well…" I began. God damn my honesty. "…I had this dream last night…" I went on and on explaining my dream to Annabeth who listened with increasing interest, almost like I was telling a war story, with guns, and dragons in space. I understood why she was so enticed. She liked hearing about my dreams, since we typically had very similar dreams, although I don't think she could relate to this one, among many other dreams of the past.

"Percy, that's- that's amazing. Is this a recurring dream?"Annabeth replied, with eyes filled in with excitement.

"No. This is the first time I've ever had a dream like this. I guess that it's what's been making me feel so excellent today."

"I'm really glad to hear, Percy. I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. That's all I want from the world." she said with a wide grin, and then followed with a hug. Then she jumped up and grabbed my hand.

"Come on. Let's go enjoy the rest of our day, Percy." Annabeth said gently, allowing the wind to carry her words in my direction. Almost as if she were directing a private message no one else in the world would hear.

"I'm all for that plan, Annabeth." I stood up as Annabeth led me to the other end of the boardwalk. Along the way we looked at the knick-knacks and things we would buy later that day. She became obsessed with this set of earrings she saw in a jewelry store window.

"Aren't they gorgeous, Percy?" Annabeth said mystified as she pointed through the glass at a pair of silver crescent earrings with amber and amethyst stones on the inner shape of the crescent. And she wasn't wrong; they we're stunning and they would look amazing on her. She just sighed and we continued walking along our merry way, gazing at fresh water fish, food carts, and toy stores. I could tell that Annabeth wanted those earrings more than anything on the boardwalk, so I knew I would have to do something. Before we moved onto the next shop, she told me that she needed to use the bathroom inside of a seaside restaurant. I was thankful to see the line inside, and agreed to let her go. Once I was out of her line of sight I sprinted towards the earrings that beckoned Annabeth's name, and approached a store clerk.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" said the saleswoman.

"Those crescent earrings out front: I need them." I said, while still recollecting air after my sprint down the walk.

"Okay. I'll bring them up for you." replied the woman, ever so calmly. "I hope you find these suitable."

"They're perfect. How much are they?" I asked prepared for a coma inducing price.

"Well you came in on a lucky day. This store is shutting down tomorrow, so we need to get rid of most of the jewelry that came in box sets, or don't have a box. This set of earrings is the last item we have up for sale."

"What's the sale price?"

"Well, normally these cost $99.90, but with our 75% clearance discount, that adds up to… $24.98. That's a steal in my opinion, sir." she gestured towards the sales signs and boxes around the room. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, and I knew it was a sign.

"You've got yourself a customer!" I exclaimed. I paid the woman the $25 and walked out of the store feeling like a proud and lucky man. I ran as fast as I could back to the restaurant, and no sooner than I had arrived, Annabeth returned from the bathroom.

"Sorry it took so long. The line was soo long." Annabeth said. Thankfully she didn't notice how fatigued I was from the running.

"Oh don't worry about it. I would wait for you anywhere, until the end of time." I replied with a smirk on my face. Annabeth leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.

"Let's get back to the water, Perce. I want to get in one more time before we go."

"You got it. Let's head to the spot." I said quickly.


	4. A Worrying Return Home

Chapter 4:

Percy's POV

We returned to our spot, and gathered our "buried treasure" from under the blanket and put away whatever we took with us. As soon as we were done sorting through our stuff, and reburied it we were back in the water. At one point we just sat at the shoreline and watched the wave inch closer to our feet. She put her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on top of hers, trying not to disrupt her comfort. After about an hour and a half, we decided to pack up and do our final shopping before we drove back to the city. I bought myself a shark tooth necklace with my name etched into it, and a painted sea dollar for my mom. Annabeth bought her dad a tiny ship in a bottle, and a throw away camera. When I asked what she would do with it she camera she brushed off my question and fiddled around with the things in her bag to keep her dad's gift safe. Once she got that handled we went to the car and repacked all of our stuff, then I noticed Annabeth was holding out her camera. She took a surprise picture of me, and the flash startled me a little bit. Immediately I heard her laugh.

"What was that for?" I asked jokingly while rubbing my spotty, dilated eyes.

"I want to take more pictures of us, for when I don't see you. I want to remember times like this when I'm really happy." Annabeth replied sheepishly. That reason was just as good as any I suppose.

"Then let's take a picture of the two of us." I said while snatching the camera and snapping a picture of the two of us in front of an open trunk, loaded with our beach goods. She pecked me on the lips, and then took the camera to the front seat. I closed the trunk and looked around to see if anyone was driving around. The parking lot was being emptied of minivans, sports cars, town cars, and motorcycles. I hopped inside of my car and found Annabeth fast asleep in the passenger seat, reclined all the way back. She wrapped herself in a clean blanket and barely made a sound. She was always peaceful when she slept, so I wasn't particularly worried. Plus she's a heavy sleeper so I didn't have to worry about waking her by closing the door. I swear that girl could sleep in the epicenter of an earthquake. And as soon as I started the engine, we were out of that place, and heading home; home sweet home.

The drive back home was worse than the drive to Rockaway, since there was so much more traffic. The drive took about an hour and a half, and Annabeth slept through the whole thing. Once we reached the apartment I picked up Annabeth from her seat and carried her up the stairs to the apartment, where I placed her on the couch. I locked the door behind me and went back down to collect our things. Back upstairs, I threw all of our stuff in the hamper to clean and then put her future gift in a place where I would remember. Today would just be for the two of us. We could sit on the couch and watch a movie, lay in bed and rest in each other's arms, or stay in the kitchen and invent some crazy sandwich or pasta meal. Whatever we did it would be perfect by my standards.

About an hour later I brought up Netflix on my laptop, and began scrolling through the suggested titles. Passing through all of the crappy remakes, sequels and prequels, I saw this movie on architecture that I thought Annabeth would like. She was really into it, and wanted to study interior design and architecture when she got to college. I walked over to the couch to see if she wanted to watch, but I couldn't help but hear a groaning that made my walking speed increase dramatically. I got to Annabeth's side and she was mumbling, "no…no no," over and over again while twisting and turning on the sofa. I was perplexed as to why Annabeth would be having a nightmare, and nothing about the situation made any sense. With a final twist of her body she jolted up with a suppressed scream. She turned and looked at me with scared eyes, and started tearing a bit. She put out her arms for me to fall into. Within seconds I was on my back while Annabeth curled up on top of me and began sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't ask any questions like I normally would have because I was lost. She had never woken up crying before, and I was scared for her. I didn't know what else to do other than hold her. I felt useless for my lack of understanding, and at the same time I felt like her rock. I was there for her when she needed it, and I could tell she appreciated it.

Within in fifteen minutes she was asleep with her head in the crook of my neck, and arms around my chest. I didn't have the heart to try and move her, so I figured I should call it a night, but I couldn't sleep. Knowing that the most important woman in my life was scared and upset was giving me cramps, and nausea. I wanted to help, but I couldn't bring myself to think about what could have made her so upset without becoming depressed, scared, and angry all at once. The only thing I could do was sleep no matter how much I wanted to help Annabeth. We'll see what happens in the morning.


	5. A Change In Perspective

Chapter 5:

Annabeth's POV

I woke up with stinging eyes, while resting on Percy's body. His chest taking in deep breaths only to release them caused his torso to raise lift and drop my body gently. I found my hands clenched onto the back of his t-shirt and I couldn't help but feel safe. Percy was my support right now, and all I needed was him. I don't know what came over me last night, but I've never woken up in tears before. From what I remember I wasn't conscious for very long. I woke up to find Percy, then proceeded to fall into a mess of tears as he cuddled up with me on the couch and held me until I fell asleep. My dream was too stressful for me to handle, I just broke. But now I was safe in Percy's home and arms, and I knew I would be safe forever. I could tell that Percy would die for my safety. As much as I thought he was being ridiculous for thinking that I was more important than he was, I was flattered and honored to have such immense meaning to Percy and his life. I would become flustered and giddy whenever I thought about how much Percy claimed he loved me. He's always been genuine about our relationship, and would never even dream of compromising it. I looked up to meet his eyes, which were still closed, but I could still sense the warmth that came from his green eyes that appeared to contain tranquil oceans and seas. When he got nervous, or upset they would seem darker and more dense yet shaky, and when if he grew angry the color would intensify and they would created whirlpools of fury. Because of that, among other reasons, I was able to deduce what Percy was thinking and feeling. A little sketchy? Yes, but I'm sure he can tell the same things about me. He always knows when I'm upset. The reason: not so much, but he's always understanding and tries to help me with whatever menial issue is bothering me that day.

I managed to roll off of him without disturbing his beach induced hibernation and head into the kitchen to make breakfast. Percy normally tries to cook because he believes that I'll be offended if he expects me to cook all of the time. As considerate as the gesture is, he sucks at cooking. The boy can barely boil pasta without dropping the box itself in the water. Plus I don't mind cooking. I feel good in the kitchen, and I actually like testing out new food and flavor combos. Today wasn't the day for testing. Today was going to be simple: eggs and bacon. Percy is obsessed with bacon and can barely function without his weekly bacon fix, so I supply him with his smoky-pork belly-drug-strips. I got to work on getting out pans and food quietly and preparing the eggs. Three eggs for me and three for Percy, and a whole package of bacon to split between us was all that I needed. Within a few minutes, the bacon was frying, eggs were being cooked, and coffee was being brewed. As I shuffled in front of the stove I wondered what Percy and I would do today. There was going to be a concert in Central Park later tonight. Thalia had told me about it weeks ago, because her favorite band would be playing, and she has yet to miss one of their New York performances. Percy could even invite Grover, or Frank, assuming they don't have other plans. Thalia would probably drag her brother Jason along since he's the only one of the Grace siblings that owns a car, and I could possibly ask Hazel, Piper and Reyna. I'll send out a text after breakfast to check on them. I haven't actually spoken to a lot of them for a few days. Since my parents were out of town I was spending as much time with Percy as possible and it didn't seem fair to let my perfectly good "Percy Time" to go to waste.

Just as the last strips of bacon were finished I heard a rumbling from the den. The beast had finally awakened and he was hungry for bacon. I put the food out on the table along with a pot of coffee and a pitcher of juice on the table. To my surprise, Percy walked right past all of the food and walked up to me before embracing me in an early morning hug.

"Good morning." Percy mumbled into my scalp.

"Morning, Percy." I whispered back with a smile.

"Are you feeling better, Annabeth?"

"I've never felt better; especially since I'm here with you." I felt a peck on the top of my head and looked back up to see a fully conscious boyfriend with crusty eyes and a huge grin stretching from cheek to cheek. "Now let's eat." I led him to a chair and got him some coffee, which he obviously needed. After we collected our shares of bacon, the conversations started. Percy asked what I wanted to do.

"I'm thinking about the Simple Plan concert in Central Park tonight. Thalia has been begging me to go, and I already told her I would. I would really love it if you came." I mentioned that last part as I reached across the table to hold his hand. I figured it might take some persuasion since he was not a huge Simple Plan fan. He was half-asleep, stuffing his face with bacon, and holding my hand, so I had him wrapped around my finger, both figuratively and literally.

"Okay. It sounds like fun, Annabeth. Can I invite some friends?" Percy replied.

"Of course! I was just about to suggest that myself."

"Okay. I'll ask Frank, Leo, and Grover. They like Simple Plan more than I do, so they won't kill me for asking them to come."

"Why would they kill you otherwise? They could just say no." I questioned with slight hints of confusion and sarcasm.

"I have no idea, Annabeth. I'm still exhausted, so forgive me if things just slip out of my mouth without me thinking of it." Percy apologized with a heavy exhaustion in his voice, so I could tell he wasn't lying. I couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"Okay, Perce. I'll see if Piper, Hazel, or Reyna can come along. Too much time with Thalia might drive me into insanity."

"Good call. Do you think Jason's going to come?" Percy asked with some annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah; Jason owns the car, and she can't walk all the way to Central Park." I answered with huffiness in my words. "I find him just as douchey, cocky and annoying as you do, but seeing him at this point is in evitable." Jason had this narcissism that made him completely unbearable in public He would hit on women, regardless of their own opinions or situations and constantly compliment himself. He also thought that he had to be in charge of everything because the majority of men in his family became military officers. He hasn't signed up for the military because he doesn't want his head shaved, nor does he want to abandon his pricey clothes and accessories. He simply compensates by commanding his friends, which annoys everyone, especially Percy. He once tried to get me to sleep with him while I was dating Percy. When Percy found out, Jason almost needed to see a plastic surgeon. I'm glad that Percy stood up for me, but Jason seems unaffected by the whole thing, although I'm pretty sure he flinches when Percy goes to high five someone.

"Whatever. I'll text the guys after I wash the dishes." Percy replied with a wink.

"You mean it? That's so sweet of you."

"Anyone who would go out of their way to prepare a luxurious breakfast like this shouldn't be left without great thanks."

"I have another I way you can thank me." I whispered as I inched closer with my chair.

He leaned over and asked seductively, "And what way might that be?" I leaned in and kissed him while cupping his cheek with my free hand. Percy promptly moved closer, and invited me to sit on his lap, for a better position.

"Letting this happen." I replied. I hopped over to his chair, and felt myself become entangled in his arms, and became lost in his grip. We sat there for about twenty minutes kissing before I reached for the bottom of his shirt.

"Annabeth…" I heard Percy's voice slip through the kiss, and I let go of his shirt and lips.

"Percy, what's wrong?" I asked concerned and slightly annoyed.

"Not now. It's not the right time." He looked down at me with sad eyes and I understood that he wasn't looking for the same thing I was at that moment. I wanted Percy…no…I needed Percy, like I needed air; I couldn't go on without it much longer. I understood that Percy wanted to wait until the right time, since we were both lacking experience, but a girl has needs. I can't imagine that Percy hasn't thought about it himself. All normal teenage boys do and no matter how innocent Percy was, I knew how his mind could wonder and imagine.

"Okay. I'm sorry, Percy." I said reluctantly and followed with a sigh.

"Annabeth, please, I just want to wait until the time is right. I haven't showered yet; my teeth are wedged with bacon and eggs, and my breath is awful. We don't all have the 'Annabeth Chase Magic' that allows us to look amazing all the time." Percy defended himself. He was really something else. I shoved his arm and went back to just kissing.

"You know I don't mind good food, but you do smell. Go take a shower." I said jokingly, and with a smug expression on my face.

"You got it, Annabeth. But first, these dishes need to be cleaned by a certain fellow named Percy Jackson." Percy said as he lifted me up and placed me down gently. "You go shower first and I'll get started on these plates and pans." He bent down and kissed me before I left to go get towels for the bathroom. That Percy could make just about anything enjoyable for me, and I loved him for it.


	6. Lazy Day

Chapter 6:

Annabeth's POV

I got undressed in Percy's room and walked back into the hallway wearing only a towel. I quickly threw my clothes into his hamper, and walked into the bathroom. I turned on the water, and felt the air grow more humid and heavy. The mirror and sink developed condensation quickly, and the temperature of the water rose. I entered the shower and managed to be done with it in about five minutes. I stepped out, shook my hair in a towel until it was slightly damp, and rewrapped myself in the towel. I opened the door, and became startled by Percy walking in front of the door frame. I was walking out so quickly that I fell into Percy and we collapsed onto the floor. I landed on top of Percy and I screamed when my towel nearly flew off.

"Jeez. I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I could barely tell that the water was off, and I just wanted to see if you were in my room." Percy fumbled out, whilst sporting a cherry red face, full of anxiety, and nervousness.

"Don't worry about it, Percy. Things like this happen. And trust me; I understand that you don't want it now. This isn't some stupid scheme I formed to force you. I love you." I leaned forward a bit and kissed Percy's forehead. I scooped myself up and carried on to Percy's room, where I put on one of Percy's big t-shirts and sweatpants. I walked back out just in time to see Percy walking into the bathroom to shower. I smiled at him and continued into the kitchen, where I was met with a pile of spotless dishes drying on a towel. Percy did things like this that always amazed me. Sometimes it was dishes, sometimes laundry, or the way he dressed. That man can wear a suit like no one else I know.

Once Percy got out of the shower, he walked over to his room, and threw on whatever clothes he had left in his drawers. We needed to do the laundry sometime today before the concert. I would probably need to go home and get some clothes to wear for the concert. Apparently "comfortable" isn't a popular style in New York City so I might throw on some nice shorts and a shirt or maybe a dress. I'll see what Percy likes when we get to my place.

"Hey, Percy, we need to go to the Laundromat at some point today. There's no way they'll let us into the concert if we're dressed like we just came from the gym." I said as Percy walked to the couch.

"I know. I was thinking that we should go in a half hour. Is there anything else you need to do or get while we're out? We need to stop by the grocery store."

"Actually, I need you to drive me home so I can get some clothes to wear to the concert tonight."

"Then we'll work our way around town. First we can hit the grocery store, grab something to eat from Joe's deli, and then head to your place. Once we get back we should have plenty of time to get ready before the concert."

"I like the way you think, Jackson. When do we want to go?" I asked.

"Well since we just ate and showered, I figured we could wait until around 1 until we leave." Percy answered.

"What are we going to do for the next couple of hours?"

"We'll watch a movie. I found this one last night and I wanted you to see it, but plans were changed." Percy's voiced gradually died out as he finished the sentence. I didn't want to dwell too much on last night, for Percy's sake. He didn't need to stand there and listen to me bitch about my dreams. Dreams are just dreams, right?

"Okay. That sounds good." I replied with a weak smile. Percy went to get his computer and opened Netflix to a page showing a movie on architecture. Percy wanted to show me a movie on architecture because he knew I would like it. He was such a sweetheart, and I loved that he could constrain himself while I dragged him into my hobbies.

"I figured that you would like this movie, since it's about architecture. I hope you haven't seen this one already." Percy said as he stood up to walk over to the kitchen. Honestly, it's possible that we watched this movie in my architecture class in school, but I couldn't bear to break it to Percy.

"It doesn't look familiar. And why are you in the kitchen? I though you weren't hungry." I yelled across the apartment.

"You can't watch a movie without popcorn, Annabeth. It's a sacrilege. It's like eating pizza without sauce and cheese, or swimming without breathing: they aren't going to work out at all, and I am personally against eating plain crust, and drowning." he yelled back. I understood his point and complied with his need for popcorn. Plus I hadn't been to a theater in a while, and Percy was the only one on the planet who could perfectly pop the kernels and melt the butter. I don't know how he did it, but I didn't want the magic to disappear and compromise the quality of his masterpiece. Especially since popcorn was the only thing he made well.

We sat down to watch the movie, and I immediately climbed into Percy's arms, thanking him for the movie and popcorn…and just for being himself. I hate fake people. When other people try to act like something they aren't; I can't stand it. I don't understand why it's so hard for them to be themselves. Maybe certain people think that they aren't good enough by just being themselves, or maybe they hate their own personality. There was a point in my life when I idolized certain celebrities and musicians, so I started dressing like they did, spoke like they did, and even talked to posters of them. Of course I was much younger, and I didn't have any self esteem issues, but I sort of understand the thrill that comes from being someone you believe is superior to you, but I learned that being myself was better, because that's the side of me that Percy like the most. He changed my life by accident. We were in Middle School, and he convinced me that I was much better without the make-up and flashy clothes I always wore. That's when we became friends, and then a few years after that we started dating, and now we're in love. It's funny how the universe works, isn't it?

Hours went by, and my memory was refreshed about some things I had forgotten from by basic architecture class, so thank gods for Percy. I needed as much information as possible if I wanted to finish the house I was working on. When Percy and I started taking our relationship more seriously, I came home really giddy and started drawing blueprints I would hopefully have built for the two of us. Yes, yes: it's a house that's extremely cheesy with feels sprinkled on top, but I was hopeful. I wanted us to be happy for the rest of our lives, and I think Percy felt the same way.

I stood up from the couch and checked my brass watch.

"Percy, it's ten to six. The concert starts in like an hour so we should probably start getting ready." I said urgently.

"What do you mean? We've already showered, and the drive is only ten minutes. Why are you in a hurry?" Percy replied confused.

"Because I promised Piper and Hazel I would pick them up from their dorms."

"School's still in session for them?"

"No but their parents are fighting the DiAngelos again. After the accident the two of them have barely spent time at home, since they're so terrified." Hazel and Piper were out one night in March with Bianca DiAngelo; one of the sweetest, most selfless girls in the world. They had just come from the mall, and came to a four-way intersection. No lights were on the road so they were extra careful, but after they stopped and started to cross through, a pick-up truck, with its lights off, came barreling from their left and smashed into the door adjacent to Bianca. Hazel and Piper were pretty beat up from bumping around so much, but the autopsy told us that Bianca died on impact. The police are still investigating the accident, since they believe the scene to be premeditated murder. They had the DiAngelo's contact info in the car, and they fled the scene while the girls were unconscious. The grill of the truck even had a police cruiser's front barricade. Since then, Bianca's younger brother Nico went into a mental collapse and he was sent to an institution. He had recurring nightmares, had sudden mood swings, and severe suicidal tendencies. He even ran away from home a few times. We all know that the "accident" wasn't the girls' fault. They were safely driving and the assailant hit them by breaking road laws, but Bianca and Nico's parents think that they wanted Bianca to die, and said that they weren't real friends because they didn't try to help Bianca survive. It breaks my heart whenever I hear it, because they are obviously innocent, but the DiAngelo's won't hear anything other than "guilty." "It sucks that they can't see the truth. Why do they have to be so stubborn about this whole thing? Hazel and Piper wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Grief does terrible things to people, Annabeth. After Mr. Brunner was killed, I was almost as bad as Nico. I came to terms with it quickly, but I'm not the same. The whole experience changed my life." Percy answered my question while staring off into space, either not realizing it, or trying to hold back emotions.

I hugged him and whispered, "You're right, Perce. I'll be getting dressed in your bedroom. I should be done in about ten minutes." I walked away and turned at the last second, to see Percy shake himself back into reality again, and smile at me weakly.


	7. The Simple Plan

Chapter 7:

Annabeth's POV

Percy and I waited in his car while Piper and Hazel shuffled together their outfits, and ran outside. I had put on a regular black dress with reflective black gems at the shoulders, and waist. Hazel was wearing a flowing, tie-dye dress, and Piper wore a pencil skirt she used to wear for her secretary job. She had to quit because she began attending classes throughout the day, and started dating Hazel. Hazel and Piper haven't come out to their families yet, which makes it easier for them to stay with each other, but much more difficult to behave themselves when around their parents. They're huge fans of PDA (Public Displays of Affection) and they can barely keep their hands off of each other. I felt bad because they were so nervous that they're relationship would just cause more tension to the constant fighting Piper and Hazel's parents are always partaking in. But at least they trusted us, and knew we could keep it a secret for as long as they wanted us to.

Once we arrived at the park, Piper and Hazel ran up to the front of the crowd and started staring at the band that they idolized. After they were pushed to the back of the crowd by the motion of people, they just resorted to hunkering down next to a tree and making out, which was not a surprise. I didn't want to make it anymore awkward so I grabbed a hold of Percy, and we waited by the entrance for the rest of the crew to show up. They all fumbled in about ten minutes after we arrived, since Jason and Grover wouldn't stop fighting. Jason kept complimenting himself and insulting Grover like he wasn't even there; just the thought of it made me want to punch that dumbass in the head one more time, but I had to restrain myself for Thalia's sake. Plus Percy might want in on the action, and I didn't want my boyfriend getting arrested that night.

"Hey, guys! Who's ready for some _good_ music?!" yelled Thalia as she walked into the park.

"Good music? Then we must be in the wrong spot. There's a Pitbull Concert at the Garden next week, so we must be early." said the snotty, blonde, brat as he walked in behind Thalia.

"Shut up, Jason! Have some respect for Simple Plan. They can play actually instruments and sing actual lyrics!" snapped Thalia. As open as I was about what music I liked, I had to agree with Thalia, in saying that Pitbull has no actual talent. You can't even understand what he raps about, because it's either in Spanish, or ridiculously fast.

"Whatever. If you need me, I'll be finding some chicks in the crowd. Want to be my wing-man, Grovie?" Jason said with a wicked smile, and sarcasm.

"First of all, my name is _Grover_. Not _Grovie_, or _Groves_, or _Hippy-Dippy_. And if you call me that again, you'll wake up in the hospital." Grover snarled back while raising a fist in front of his face. Within a second, Reyna had shoved his fist down.

"Grover, don't! I know he's an ass hole but he isn't worth the trouble." She glared at Jason, and shooed him off. He walked away throwing his hands in the air and chuckling as he walked away.

"I hate that guy so fucking much. Sorry, Thalia." said Grover.

"It's alright, Grover. I hate him too. I wish he could go back to boarding school, but they expelled his sorry ass. Of course he _isn't _sorry for having sex on school grounds six times, but what can you do. The girls at his school were either gold-diggers, or bimbos who he just seduced. I told mom not to send him to a co-ed school, and that she would be sorry for wasting money, but of course my voice isn't heard at home." said Thalia. She was always mistreated at home. She ran away several times when she was younger, but figured that it was bad enough that she came to know the officers, who would bring her home, by first name. I felt bad for her, because she had to live in the same home as Jason. Their mother is rarely around, since she works outside of the city, and has to attend AA meetings. I've always been there for Thalia when she needed it, and she was there for me. She would stay at my place whenever she had had enough of her mother or brother for the day, and needed an escape. We would go to the beach, or the library, or just about anywhere to make her feel better.

"Hey! It's about time you guys showed up!" shouted Percy behind me. Then I noticed Frank and Leo hurry in behind Reyna. Leo wore an oil stand tank top under a jacket, with jeans, and Frank wore a collared Polo shirt, and khakis. Percy ran up and high fived each of them and waved me over.

"Annabeth! How the hell are you?" yelled Reyna. She gave me a hug, and my nose was assaulted by the mixed scents of fried plantains, and Macy's perfume. She broke the hug and held my shoulders. Reyna is originally from Puerto Rico, so she speaks really quickly in Spanish and English. Her Spanish gives her a secret language between her and her boyfriend Leo. Whenever they talk to each other they say things in Spanish and don't let us in on the jokes. Reyna tried to teach me once, but I sucked at it. But we all let them have their secret conversations, because they're nice about it…we think.

"Oye, Annabeth. Where did you go? Leo, Annabeth está durmiendo. Coge el agua por fa-(Leo, Annabeth is sleeping. Get the water ple-) "Reyna spoke at about a thousand words a minute, so I had to stop her before my ears exploded.

"I'm fine Reyna. I just lost my train of thought." I replied slowly, hoping to slow down my blood pressure.

"Okay. Oye, Flojo, vamos a bailar a la música, o vamos an acostarnos? (Hey, Lazy, are we going to dance, or are we going to sleep?)" yelled Reyna.

"Déjame un momento. Estoy hablando con mis amigos. (Leave me alone for a bit. I'm talking with my friends.)" responded Leo.

"Cinco minutos, Leo. (Five minutes, Leo.)" Reyna said. She always had her way of commanding Leo, like she was born to do it. I think her name is "queen" in Spanish so it works out.

"So, did Leo get you anything for anniversary last week?" Piper asked.

"Yes. He made me this bracelet. He has such a way this jewelry and machines. His hands bring me _great _pleasure." Reyna replied with a smug grin on her face. Piper, Hazel and I exchanged looks, and just started laughing.

"No way, with him? He's so scrawny though. Aren't you afraid his bones will snap?" Piper giggled.

"He may look weak, but under those grease stains and baggy clothes stands a true blacksmith, as strong as a bull. Working with his mother in their workshop gives him such a workout." Reyna replied with lust in her eyes. She was mentally powerful, and Leo was physically strong. They must have completed each other.

"I'm just glad you're happy, Reyna. You deserve a good man." said Hazel.

"I am too." I agreed. "We should probably gather the boys and head to the crowd." But to my surprise, the boys were a few steps ahead of us, and snuck up from behind to scare us. Percy threw his arms around me and whispered, "Boo."

"Percy! Long time no see. I missed you." I said playfully.

"I know. Tell me; how're the kids? I'm sure they've grown." he responded, joining in on the joke.

"They have. No we should probably get going before my husband worries."

"Husband? Well that's shocking, _Mrs. _Chase. Just don't tell your hubby about this." he leaned in and kissed me. I pulled him in closer, and we pulled apart moments later to see our friends sharing smiles and laughs. We randomly banter like that, Percy and I. We do it just to show each other that we're not bored of each other yet, although, Percy's rarely boring.

"You guys are too much." Frank said followed by his bellowing laugh. The kid was a teddy bear, and everyone wanted to hug him; even some of the guys. We were trying to spend as much time with him as possible, since he was being deployed in a few weeks. His family was filled with veterans, including his father and grandmother. Unfortunately, his mother was killed in Afghanistan trying to save a fellow soldier. I had never met her, but I heard that she had a heart of gold, and would put her life on the line for anyone. Even complete strangers had her full protection. But naturally, Frank felt that it was his destiny to go into the military. I think he's joining the Marines.

"Alright, we should probably go find a spot in the crowd before more people show up."Grover said.

"I've been saying that for the past twenty minutes, for gods' sakes!" I yelled.

We got into the crown and formed a little group so we wouldn't get caught up in the flow of the crowd. I was right in front of Percy, and he had wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned against his chest, trying not to fall asleep. It was only 9 at night, but being locked in his arms like that makes me sleepy. But I woke up as soon as the lead singer began the typical announcements, and salutations. The "Hello, New York City!" and announcements about their new album went on forever. I looked over and saw Piper leaning against Hazel, with Hazel's arm around Piper's waist. They got some nasty looks, but no one bothered them, which I was grateful for. When we went out, they could be treated so cruelly. It wasn't fair, I mean who cares if their lesbian. Most guys I know think lesbians are hot. But I didn't want to think about that anymore, in case I ran the risk of jinxing it. I put my attention on the concert in front of me, and started moving around a bit, when they played one of the songs I liked. I threw my hands up and started moving my hips. Percy moved his hands down to my hips and began moving along with me. After that song I turned around and started dancing with him. It was just moving around but once the slow song came on they announced, "Alright, you lovers, grab a partner and get close. We've got a song here we like to call 'This Song Saved My Life'." After that the audience went nuts, and then fell quiet when the piano riff opened the song. I looked at Percy, and he held out his hands for me. I put my arms around his neck, and he put his arms around my waist and pulled me close. As the lyrics went on, I couldn't help but think of how the words described our relationship. Percy really did save my life. Who knows where I would be if I kept following the path I was on. After about three minutes of singing, the audience filled in the lyrics while the band sang, and I raised myself up to Percy's ear and whispered,

"You saved my life. You are my life." He looked back down at me, and we kissed. It was better than most other kisses, because this one was backed by feeling and love. I could practically taste the passion in his lips. We remained like that for a while, until I felt slight heat on my back, and noticed Percy's face illuminate. I turned around and my face was immediately faced by the band and audience members following the stage light, which was now shining on us.

"I think you two are the best couple at this concert; very tasteful PDA in my opinion. Way to keep it classy and sexy, you guys." said the lead singer, Pierre Bouvier. His announcement led to the audience roaring with cheer, and our awkward waving. It was somewhat embarrassing, yet also gratifying to know that we're not considered dirty in public. Maybe I should start making out with Percy more often.

Another two hours passed by, and then the band played their last notes, and began packing up equipment. Our group met us in front by the stage and immediately started teasing and praising us for the announcement Bouvier so _pleasantly _made.

"You guys were so adorable there. Ugh, it's so nice to see you guys so happy." said Reyna. We immediately dropped the happiness when Jason showed up with his arm around some girl's waist. She was extremely tan, and sported a lot of tattoos. She also had a number of face an ear piercings. They eventually made it to the group. They locked lips one more time, and Jason grabbed her butt; what a fucking pig. He's already feeling up this chick on their first night together.

"Call me." she said softly after they parted.

"You got it, honey." Jason replied with a wink and a grin. "I give her a 6." he said as he threw a small sheet of paper on the ground.

"You're such a snob, Jason. That girl looked thoroughly interested in you, and you're just going to keep her waiting like that? Is there something wrong with you?" Frank yelled at Jason.

"I can do what I want, chubby. What are you going to do about it?" replied Jason angrily. He had booze on his breath that I smelled as he walked towards Frank. Once Jason was in his face, I could see the restraint that Frank was showing. I was really impressed, but scared for him at the same time. Jason had been drinking, and had less control than he normally had. Percy stepped in between them.

"Alright guys, that's enough." Percy interrupted placing his hands on Jason and Frank's chests.

"Don't touch me, Jackson!" Jason yelled as he shoved away Percy's hand. "You want to get involved too? I'll take both you mother fuckers down." Percy put up his hands like he was ready to fight, but then he looked at me and his expression changed from angry to apologetic. He lowered his hands and looked at Jason.

"I'm not going to fight you, Jason. You've had too much to drink, and I don't want either of us getting hurt." Percy calmly explained.

"That's right, walk away, you pussy. Next time I'll be walking away when Annabeth finally decides to hop on my dick and ditch your sorry ass. I'll be laughing the whole way ho-" his speech was interrupted by Percy's fist colliding with Jason's jaw. Jason fell to the ground and quickly looked back up at Percy.

"Oh so now you fight? Alright, bring it on then!" Jason yelled as he wiped the blood off of his chin. Jason was stumbling around and could barely stand to begin with, so when he tried to take swing at Percy he fell over and groaned. Percy left him there, and walked away.

"That was amazing, Percy! I swear I thought you broke his jaw!" yelled Leo excitedly. Normally I would have been angry at Percy for fighting, but there's no reasoning with Jason. And after those things he said about me, I was ready to whack Jason myself.

"Yeah well now Thalia and Grover have no ride home!" yelled Hazel.

"Don't worry guys. I wouldn't let him drive us anyways. He's trashed. I can drive his car." said Thalia confidently.

"But what are we going to do about Mayor Douche Bag?" asked Frank.

"He'll make his way home. He's a big boy now, so his sister doesn't need to take care of him. I only pray that he gets robbed. That better teach him not to get wasted at every concert he goes to. Maybe that girl will come back and give him a lesson as well." Thalia stated. Obviously no one objected, and we all nodded, said are goodbyes and parted ways.

"Wait, Percy, I think I dropped something back there. Wait here" I said to Percy urgently.

"Okay. I'm not going anywhere." he replied. I ran back to Jason's unconscious body and kicked him in the gut, making him groan and clench his stomach.

"Listen, buddy. Let's get something straight." I wasn't sure if he heard me or if he would remember what I said in the morning. "I am no one's fuck toy; especially not yours. I am Percy's girlfriend, and if anyone is going to make love to me, it's going to be him. And if you call him a pussy again you'll be getting another visit from me and Percy…and your clothes are stupid." I yelled before I released my pent up aggression into his chest via my foot. I walked back proudly towards Percy who was facing the other way. He took my hand and we started walking away.

"Nice shot." he whispered into my ear, producing a smile on my face.


	8. Thalia's New Problem

Chapter 8:

Percy's POV

I was so filled with anger that night of the concert. I wanted to kill Jason, and soon after I wish I had. Annabeth and I made plans to meet with Thalia, and Grover at Joe's deli, about a week after the concert. We showed up a few minutes early and saved some seats for the other two. Grover showed up soon after we did, and we were left waiting on Thalia.

"Gods, where could she be? We agreed to meet ten minutes ago." I said a bit annoyed.

"She might have just hit some foot traffic. She'll be here soon." Annabeth replied.

"I don't know, Annabeth. She hasn't answered any of my texts yet, and she seldom talks to me. I'm kind of worried about her." Grover added with worry in his voice.

"We'll give her another ten, then we'll go out and see if we can find her. Will that make you guys less anxious?" suggested Annabeth.

"Yup!" exclaimed Grover and I in unison. The time passed on and we waited for Thalia. Annabeth was growing just as anxious as we were, and began wishing ten minutes passed so we could at least look for her. Just as I was about to suggest an early search party, Thalia rushed into the establishment.

"There you are!" I said reaching out for some sort of contact. But she seemed shaken and sat down right away, sharing quiet hellos. She normally wore flashy Goth clothes, but today she was dressed very strangely. She was wearing a black zip-up hoodie, black leggings, sunglasses and what looked like a skin tight turtle neck under the hoodie.

"Gosh, Thalia. You should probably take off some of the layers you have there. It's nearly 90 **(90F = 32C) **degrees out." suggested Annabeth. She reached to take Thalia's jacket, but she pulled away.

"I'm fine, Annabeth. I'm just cold." Thalia spit out her words like she had just eaten rotten fruit. We were all very confused, but could tell that she was just going to be difficult about the whole thing, and we dropped it.

"So did you guys see the Mets game yesterday?" said Grover. As soon as he finished his sentence, Thalia began to whimper and had tears rolling down her cheeks from behind her massive shades. Something was definitely wrong with her.

"Thalia, sweetie, you gotta tell us what's wrong. We're your friends, and we're here to support you." Annabeth said as she ran to her friend's side and stroked her back softly.

"It- it's- J-Jason. He- He…" Thalia couldn't even finish her words and buried her head into her hands. Grover approached Thalia from the other side.

"You can tell us. It's going to be okay, Thalia." said Grover sympathetically.

"Jason hits me!" Thalia screamed at the top of her lungs, and her words were immediately followed by tears. The gravity of the situation didn't hit me until he removed her sunglasses to reveal a large black eye. Anger, sympathy, fear, and anxiety filled my veins all at once, and I was ready to break a hole in the wall. I couldn't even believe what I was hearing.

"That mother-, I can't believe he-. What the fuck!?" yelled Grover. He was clearly just as angry as I was, if not angrier. Grover is the one who introduced me to Thalia and Annabeth, so he knew them longer than I had. They practically grew up together.

"How long has this been happening, Thals?" asked Annabeth with a concerned tone in her voice.

"Since the morning after the concert. He was angry that we left him there that night, and said I would pay. At first I thought he was kidding, but then he started getting overly rough with me. He shoved me into the floor and pummeled me with his kicks and punches. He slapped me repeatedly and hit in every spot there is to hit…e_very spot._" Thalia said those last words with such disgust and fury that it made my bones want to crawl out of my body. I was scared to know what she meant, but I knew from then what it meant exactly. And apparently I wasn't alone.

"No…no no no…no, Thalia, please tell me it isn't true. He's your brother, for fuck's sake!" cried Annabeth.

"That monster! I swear, when I get my hands on him-! He won't know his own name when he wakes up; if he wakes up!" Grover shouted out of anger.

"Grover's right. He's a monster. He's spoiled who takes everything he wants. Now he's clearly asking for a true ass kicking, so why don't we give the brat a visit?" I bellowed seriously.

"No, Percy, no! He invited all of his gang friends to stay at our apartment. These are serious guys, who have direct contact with Latin cartels. They have guns, and drugs, and can collect more information about you than you know yourself." Thalia said monotonously. She was truly in fear for her own life, and didn't want us to leave her.

"Well we need to do something! We can't just let him keep abusing you!" shouted Annabeth. "It's not fair, nor is it _legal_. Why don't we report him to the police?"

"Jason practically has the police force wrapped around his finger. If he's ever charged with anything, the officers "lose" the documents, and the case is dismissed, and fines are rarely given to him. He would be acquitted and kill all of us. I swear he has more connections in this city than any politician."

"If his connections are really that dangerous and deep-set, then there's not much else we can do." said Annabeth.

"No! There has to be something we can do! There's no way in hell I'm going to let that punk abuse his sister. And I certainly don't want to live in fear of being shot on the street by one of his gangster-pals, or losing any of my friends to his power." I yelled. I couldn't believe that his was all happening so quickly, and there was nothing that we could do. Thalia's eyes were now filled with hatred and anger rather than fear and sadness. I could tell that she was ready for action like the rest of us, but no one knew where to start. Thalia started to tell us about the gang that Jason was so friendly with. She couldn't remember the gang's name, but she knew some of the high members. The leader of the gang was Luke Castellan, his right hand man was Ethan Nakamura, and he would use prostitutes as spies around the city. Apparently Luke and his gang sold and bought women, guns, drugs, and exotic animals off of the black market, then distributed them into the city. Once she saw a hooker walk into a room, then saw a python leave the same room five minutes later. Thalia's home was just a place for the gang to hang out, but they had a main warehouse where they would conduct actual business. Hearing all of this for the first time, Grover, Annabeth, and I needed to absorb and process this information and start thinking of what our first course of action would be.

"Thalia, you need to stay at my place. There's no way in hell I'm letting my best friend stay at that evil place every night." said a worried Annabeth.

"I can't, Annabeth. He knows where you live, and if I left without letting him know, he would get suspicious and think I was going to tell the police. He would probably kill me, then you and your family. No one would be the wiser." Thalia responded quickly. I stiffened at the mention of Annabeth's death. I didn't even want to imagine it. It was just something I couldn't bear to think of at that moment.

"She can stay with me! I live off the grid, so there's no way they'll find you at my place." called out Grover. We all exchanged looks of hope then approval.

"It's a deal, Grover. Thank you so much." Thalia said as she reached over the table to hug Grover. Thank gods she found a place to stay.

"Okay, next order of business-" Thalia started to say until she was interrupted by her growling stomach. "I guess some sandwiches are in order."

"I'll go get them guys. It's my treat today." I passed around a sheet of paper where they could write down their orders and left to go get the food. I returned to see my friends huddled around the table, and I could hear them talking about sandwiches until I got back.

"Okay, so now that our designated leader is back, we can start talking plans. You have any ideas, Oh Wise One?" Grover said as the group turned their heads towards me. I didn't want for there to be a leader, but I didn't argue with him.

"Umm…I don't know right now. This is some pretty serious shit we're getting into. I don't want out of it, I just need some time to contemplate our possibilities, and figure out how to approach this." I said in response to their stares. Thalia's eyes started to light up when I actually started suggesting this.

"Sounds good, Captain Percy." laughed Thalia. It was nice to see her slightly happy, so I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Grover, you worry about taking Thalia away from all of this. Annabeth and I will do some research on this team. I know a guy at good cop who can fetch some records for us from the precinct. We'll head over there after lunch and get started." I said.

"Now I think we all deserve some delicious sandwiches at the courtesy of Joe." said Annabeth.

Annabeth and I finished our sandwiches then waited for Grover and Thalia. We all filed out of the deli, and stood in front if the building going over the plan again.

"You guys good? We all know our jobs?" I asked the group.

"Yep." they replied in unison. With that, Grover and Thalia hopped into his Prius and sped off to his out of the grid home. There was no way she could get any of her things out of the house now, especially with all of the criminals and dangerous pets wandering the home. Annabeth and I turned the corner and walked towards the precinct which was about twelve blocks down from my house. My uncle worked on the force for a long time, until he was forced to retire. He made a lot of friends and kept good connections with the other officers and detectives and even the Chief of Police. He almost became the Chief until the retirement. He would always tell me about the dirty cops that worked with criminals and would receive contraband for letting these monsters free. He was extremely loyal to the force and would never jeopardize his job for anything.


	9. New Evidence

Chapter 9:

Percy's POV

"Here we are, babe. The NYPD: First Precinct. Home of New York's finest." I said while gripping her hand.

"We're doing the right thing, Percy. We have to help our friend." Annabeth said encouragingly. We walked into the precinct and were immediately greeted by my uncle's old partner. He always comes to family events and was always a blast to be around. He even knew Annabeth.

"Holy crap, Percy Jackson?! What on earth are you doing here? Finally came to join the force, like your good old uncle?" said the old friend.

"Sorry, Rich. We came here because we need help with something serious." I said grimly.

"Yeah sure, Perce. What's wrong?"

"Well, a friend of ours has a brother that recently joined a gang. The leader is Lu-"

"Luke Castellan? Right-hand man: Ethan Nakamura?" guessed Rich, to my surprise.

"Uh…yeah. How did you know?"

"We've been investigating them for over a year now. They've been around for a long time, and they are very dangerous. They have a 'rat' in the office here that gets them out of trial and tells them secrets about our stakeouts and plans to catch them. The only thing is: we have no idea who it is."

"Well all we know is that Jason Grace is one of their newest members, and that they buy and sell women, weapons, drugs, and exotic animals. Apparently they have main gang house somewhere on the Upper West Side, but they hang out at our friend's home. If you want her address we can give it to you." added Annabeth.

"Yes! That would be great! This might be a huge break through. Just write down the address and I can take you guys to the chief to talk about this." Rich said happily, looking ready to jump out of his skin. I grabbed a sheet of scrap paper and scribbled Thalia's address, shortly before the paper was snatched from my hand by the eager officer. He rushed behind the desk and ran into the chief's office. Annabeth and I waited for about fifteen minutes until Rich popped his head through the door and said, "He wants to see you two."

We walked in the office and were confronted by the back of a large leather chair, behind an even larger desk. On the desk lay scattered papers about the case we had reintroduced to the NYPD. Pictures of their cargo and suspected members of the gang, along with people they killed by torture, of drive-by shoot outs. The reality of the situation at hand finally hit me and I became scared. I could tell Annabeth was scared as well because her grip on my hand grew tighter. We noticed that the chief began rotating his seat to see us.

"I assume you two know why I called you in here." said the chief.

"Well, yes. You want us to provide information about the gang." I said as confidently as I could without shaking my words.

"That's right. Now why don't you two have a seat and we'll have officers escort you one by one to the interrogation room." Annabeth's hand tensed up even more, and I could feel the blood flow slowing in my hand.

"Interrogation?! But we're not criminals!" said Annabeth loudly.

"Please, Ms. Chase. We would like to believe that you aren't criminals since you are coming into the precinct to give us first hand information. It's only standard procedure."

"I won't go without Percy! Please don't make me go without him!"Annabeth was on the verge of tears. She was terrified for herself and Thalia and was petrified of being arrested.

"Ms. Chase you need to contain yourself. And if you don't co-operate we will have to detain you and your boyfriend." Oh no…I saw the color drain from Annabeth's face, and she sank into her chair. "Thank you. That's much better. Now we would like to give Ms. Chase some time to rest so Mr. Jackson you can go first." _Great_, I thought. I didn't want to leave Annabeth in this position, especially when she had to go next. Within a few minutes an officer came into the office.

"Mr. Jackson, if you'll please follow me." said the officer.

"Okay. One moment please." I responded.

"Certainly."

I looked into Annabeth's eyes and took both of her hands. "I need you to be brave, okay Annabeth? I won't be gone for long, and it's only standard procedure." I kissed her on the forehead and exited the room, following the officer ahead of me. He led me to a section of the prison with several vacant and occupied cells lining the walls of the corridor. At the other side, there was a metal door, with light sneaking through the small spaces between the door and its frame. We approached the door and the officer opened it for me. Waiting for me to walk in first, he kept the door open and waited by my side. I walked in as my knees wobbled at the sight of the room, and the cliché steel table in front of me. I sat in the cold plastic chair, and waited for the officer to sit on the opposite side. He finally seated himself so we could begin.

"Good afternoon Perseus Jackson. I'm Officer Krupke, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions about the situation at hand." said Officer Krupke. I could tell that he was from the Bronx just by his heavy accent. "Now tell me Mr. Jackson-"

"You can call me Percy." I said, slightly annoyed.

"Okay, Percy. Tell me this: how do you know Jason Grace?"

"He's my friend Thalia's brother." I said curtly. I wanted to get out as fast as possible, and not get nervous.

"Good. How long have you known Jason and Thalia Grace for?"

"I've known Thalia and Jason for sixteen years."

"And how old are you?"

"17."

"So you've known them for most of your life?"

"That's correct, sir."

"What do you know about the Kings of Manhattan?"

"I don't know a lot. I know a few names of members: Jason Grace, Ethan Nakamura, and Luke Castellan." I could hear my voice starting to tremble.

"So Thalia Grace is not a member of The Kings of Manhattan?"

"No, she's not." I said more confidently, because I knew it was the truth.

"Are you aware of any areas the gang might go to do business or hide out?"

"A majority of the members and some of their contraband are located in the Grace's home."

"Are you aware of Jason Grace's whereabouts right now?"

"I assume he's at the house. I gave the Chief the address."

"And Thalia?

"I'm not sure officer. She could be out of state for all I know." I technically wasn't lying. I had no idea where Grover lived, which gave me relief, but scared me at the same time.

"Okay, and last question, Mr. Jackson. Is Annabeth Chase a member of this gang?" said the officer. I couldn't even collect my thoughts, since the question caught me so off guard.

"No, no, of course she isn't. I've been with her for the past couple of weeks, and she would never be a part of some hood-rat gang in the city."

"Son, this is no hood-rat gang we're dealing with. They work out of ports all over the world. They trade slaves, guns, drugs, and animals for money and other priceless items. We've traced connections of theirs to crime organizations all around the globe: Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, Russian Mafia, and Latin Kings. We don't know if they're the masterminds of this whole trade, but they're definitely a huge part in it. We're talking about potential worldwide terrorism here. The FBI hasn't had enough evidence to bust them yet, but they aren't the NYPD. We're the best police force in the country, and we're going to be the ones who take these monsters down." the officer spoke with such courage, and determination. "One final question, Mr. Jackson: Is there anything else we should know about Jason Grace and the _organization_ he's associated with?"

"We have reason to believe that Thalia Grace was abused and raped by Jason, and potentially other members of the g-…organization." I hated calling them an "organization." It gave them too much credit for being so evil. The fact that they were being called an organization meant that they had as much power in New York City as any other business man, or maybe even any politician here. That's what scared me most of all, and I almost wanted to stop this whole investigation, and leave with Annabeth. But it was far too late for that. We were in the deep of it, and there was no way we were avoiding the situation.

We returned back to the Chief's and I found Annabeth sitting in the large chair with her knees up to her chin, but she was mainly motionless. She didn't move until I closed the door and she sprung up from her seat to bring me into a bone crushing hug. If she could crush my bones, maybe I should join her at the gym on occasion.

"Are you okay, Percy? Please tell me that you're okay. I can't handle anything else right now." The words flew out of her mouth like she just released a group of butterflies from inside her.

"I'm okay, Annabeth. You'll be okay too. Nothing bad is going to happen as long as I'm here." I told her softly, followed by a kiss on her forehead. Thankfully neither the chief nor the officer were paying us much attention as they exchanged their notes and surprised looks. The officer turned around once he was finished and pointed towards Annabeth. I hugged her one more time, and slowly released her so she could get out of the office. I saw a single tear run down her cheek and then something clicked; could this be what Annabeth's dream was about? Did she know more about this situation then I did? I didn't exactly feel like thinking about it at the time, but I knew it wouldn't stop eating at me until I asked her about it. So I sat in my chair, anxious about Annabeth's questioning, not being able to keep still in my chair. After what seemed like hours, Annabeth stumbled in through the door and then we walked out of the station hand in hand, making our way back to the safety of my apartment, but I couldn't shake the feeling that my home wasn't exactly as safe as it was before we left that morning.


	10. Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Plans

Chapter 10:

Annabeth's POV

A few days after I was questioned by the police with Percy, my parents and brothers came home from their trip, and I needed to go home. I would miss sleeping with Percy every night, but I knew the times would come back, and we could be happy again. Of course, the police contacted my dad as soon as my interrogation was over and he was worried for me the whole time they were away, but clearly not worried enough to buy a ticket and fly back to New York. I assumed that was my step-mother's fault, because I know that my father would come back if he was out on his own. But when he was with _her_, he had no free will.

I had already been home for hours before the family walked into the house carrying their overly sized luggage. As soon as the door swung open all I could hear was screaming and running. First, Matthew and Bobby ran past me in the den, and flew up the stairs with bags of candy and souvenirs, then I heard my dad yelling furiously, and for once it wasn't directed at me.

"What's the big deal, Fred? Why can't we just go to dinner with John and Ashley?" asked my step-mother.

"Because my daughter was just interrogated by the police and I want to be here for her. You can go on your own if you really want to, but I would like to spend some time with my daughter, instead of you and another couple." responded my dad. _Go dad!_

"I am your wife! How dare you talk to me like that?"

"Because you're my wife, and also you're the reason I never spend time with Annabeth. In case you haven't realized, I haven't seen her in about a month, but we were only on vacation for 2 weeks. You drag me out of the house and keep me all to yourself. I married you so I could give Annabeth a female role model to look up to, but I'm starting to think I should have given Athena a call instead of you!" yelled my dad before throwing his bags to the ground and walking towards the couch where I was sitting. I was so happy to hear him say that, but upset at the same time. I hadn't realized how much my dad wanted to spend time with me, and I felt like I was tearing up his marriage. Another thing I was surprised to hear about: Athena. That was what my dad used to call my mom; my biological mother, not this witch that was yelling at my dad. I felt kind of bad for her because he was laying into her pretty hard, but I quickly got over it, when my dad flung his arms around me and pulled me into a strong hug.

"I'm sorry, Annie. Are you alright?" asked my dad, who was clearly trying to hold back tears.

"I'm great, dad. How was the trip?" I replied happily.

"It was terrible. Matthew and Bobby were complaining non-stop, the resort hotel was falling apart, and you weren't there with us. But now I understand why you didn't come. You have your mother's intuition." he said with his face buried in my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile after being given such a nice compliment from my dad. I loved him, even though he wasn't always there. I guess I learned to forgive him after a while of seeing what he has to deal with.

"I'm sorry I didn't go. You know how I feel about her, and the kids." I tried to sound as nice as possible when I brought them up by not mentioning their names. Just thinking about them feeds angry flames in my mind.

"How about this: why don't we take tomorrow, and have a daddy-daughter-day? It'll be just us, doing whatever we feel like. We can sneak into some movies, get some food, and walk around town. It'll be great. What do you say, Annie?" He looked at me with the only puppy dog eyes in the world that held power over Percy's. Plus I couldn't say no to him now: I had just witnessed him in a really bad fight, and we hadn't seen each other in _forever. _I had made plans with Percy for tomorrow, but he'll understand when I tell him over Skype tonight. He's the one that listens to me vent about my issues the most, and he knows how badly I miss my dad.

"I would be happy to, dad. I love the idea; it's ingenious!" I replied with a smile running from ear to ear.

"That's great! Now I have to go bring my things upstairs and grab some pillows. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. I'll probably get the best sleep I've had in years." said my dad with slowly fading joy. He kissed me on the head, and went back to his scattered luggage.

I went back to listening to music, and reading for a few hours until it was time to call Percy. I ran up to my room and turned on my computer. I fixed myself quickly, by pulling back my hair, straightening up my room, and fixing my lamp's position. I called Percy, only to be greeted by his glowing face two rings later.

"Hi, Beauty." said my boyfriend.

"Hi, Beast." I replied. We would call each other Beauty and Beast randomly since he tried flirting with me before we actually started dating. He came up to my locker and tried to act as suave as possible by calling me Beauty. He dropped his stuff on the floor a split-second after, so I started laughing and called him Beast. It's been like that since, and I love it.

"So how'd it go with the parents when they came home? Did your dad get on your case at all?" Percy asked worriedly.

"No. He had a fight with The Wicked Witch after they walked through the door." I explained the extent of the fight to Percy, and then went on to explaining what he said to me after. "He apologized about not spending enough time with me, so then my dad made plans to spend the day together tomorrow. I know we had made plans for tomorrow, but can we take a rain-check? I really want to spend time with him, for a change." I asked pleadingly.

"Of course, baby. I totally understand, and I think it's great you're spending time with your dad. I think it's even better he stood up to that bitch." said Percy triumphantly.

"Shh, Perce; _**It**_might be able to hear you."

"Oops. Sorry, Annabeth."

"It's okay, it's okay. I just don't want to set her off on another rage. Now, what are you going to do tomorrow without me?" I asked kindly with a wink.

"Well, since I won't have your pretty face to hang out with tomorrow, I'll probably ask Frank to hang out. He ships out this weekend and I want to spend some more time with the lug, plus, Piper and Hazel have the week to themselves before they get thrown out of the dorm, Nico is visiting family in Italy, and Grover and Juniper are with Thalia to make sure nothing happens." I had completely forgotten that Frank shipped out in less than a week. I was going to miss him. He was such a teddy bear, and I worried about him going to war, but we all knew that he had to do it. If it was in his blood, then he would be a natural soldier, and hopefully a successful leader.

"That's great! Remind me to call the restaurant about Thursday night. We want everything to be perfect for the Bon Voyage Party." I exclaimed. We were going to throw Frank a surprise party before he goes off to war. We didn't Frank realized how much we all loved him, so we decided that it would be a good idea to show him by devoting a whole party to him. We really hoped he would love it.

"Okay, Annabeth. Now I have to go shower and hit the hay. I have my motorcycle road test tomorrow!" he said with exhaustion. Percy would be getting his motorcycling license tomorrow, and I wasn't a huge fan. They were dangerous, and I don't want Percy getting hurt. Besides, he already has his regular license, and his boating license. Thank gods Thalia convinced him to avoid planes as much as possible. She's horrified of heights and almost had a panic attack when we asked her to join our senior trip next year. We wanted to go to Europe, and she nearly died right there at the lunch table.

"Okay, Percy. Sleep well, and please don't get yourself killed tomorrow." I begged.

"Don't worry. I'm going to do fine, and I won't die, for your sake. I love you, Annabeth. Have fun with your dad tomorrow." he said smiling.

"I love you too." I blew a kiss at him and he returned one, and then ended our call. I trusted Percy, but sometimes he can get too cocky when it comes to tests, and doesn't do as well as he thinks he should have done. He gets flustered, annoyed, and starts blaming his score on other people, and outside factors that could have prevented him from passing.

I put on my pajamas, and then crawled under my covers before falling into my slumber. It took me a while to fall asleep completely because my mind thinks that night time is the best time to contemplate everything in my life, and that I should figure it all out at once. But once it passed I was deep asleep and slept without any dreams, or nightmares. Thank gods for that blissful night.


	11. The Perfect Night

Chapter 11:

Annabeth's POV

The next morning I woke up to my dad gently shoving my shoulder to wake me up. I was able to lift my eyelids enough to see the clock that read 7:30. I hadn't woken up at 7:30 since the school year so I was slightly caught off guard. Not remembering that my dad came to wake me up to start the day I started to drift off again. He shook me more and whispered my name. I finally cracked open my eyes and saw my dad standing over me wearing his pajamas.

"Wake up, sweet heart. Get ready quick, I want to show you something." he said softly.

"Okay, but I'm going to need you to step out for a minute. I promise I won't fall back asleep." I said while slowly sitting up in my bed. By the time I was on my feet, dad had already closed the door and went to finish getting ready himself. I threw on a pair of jeans and a collared flannel shirt. It was supposed to be chilly that day so I prepared myself. When I opened my window I could barely see the sun, so I would bring a hoodie with me, just in case it started raining. I opened my door and went to brush my teeth. I could barely see because I hadn't put in my contacts, or put on my glasses, so I nearly walked into my dad. Once I was already clean and ready, we went outside to be greeted by a silver convertible.

"Dad, whose car is this?" I asked.

"It's ours for the day, Annabeth. And you get to drive it around town. I rented it this morning, figuring that we should have a special ride for our special day." he said while dangling the keys in between us. He dropped them into my hands and went to sit in the passenger seat.

"But I don't even have my full license. Why are you letting me drive?" I worried.

"Because I know that if you took your road test today, you would score perfectly. You would have had your license soon after your 17th birthday if your step-mother had let me pay for driver's ed classes." he said solemnly. I shyly entered the car, and turn the key in the ignition. I was definitely nervous, but I knew dad was right. I could drive in my sleep, which was good, because I was practically falling asleep then.

"So where are we going first?" I said.

"Well, I figured we could grab some breakfast at the diner you love so much. I know you haven't had their waffles in ages, and I figured it would be a good place to start our day." he happily said.

"Really?! Oh my gods, that's amazing!" I yelled. I was suddenly filled with more energy and became wide awake. My dad was referring to the Hudson Diner on Hudson Street, which was my favorite diner for breakfast in New York City. I absolutely loved eating their waffles with syrup and strawberries, since they got _real_ Canadian maple syrup, and got fresh strawberries every week with their produce, and it was a Tuesday so I hoped the fruit wasn't old already.

"You know it, Annie. Now let's get going; I'm starving!"

And with that we were on our way to the diner. When we got there, not too many people had shown up so early to get breakfast, so we got a nice booth by the window. We were able to see the streets quickly liven up as people got up to go to work, and begin their days.

"Hi, welcome to The Hudson Diner. Can I get you guys anything to drink?" said the perky waitress.

"We'll get two coffees, please. Want anything else, Annie?" my dad said.

"I'll have orange juice, please."

"Okay, great. I'll be right back to take your orders." said the waitress as she wrote down our drinks and walked away.

"So, Annabeth." said dad.

"So, dad." I said before giggling.

"What's new with you, kid? Is there anything exciting going on, that you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Well, there's the-." I started to say before being cut off.

"You don't need to talk about the case if you don't want to. This day is supposed to be enjoyable, and I don't want to make it a second interrogation. Tell me about what else you did while we were away." interrupted dad.

"Okay. Well, uh…I spent a lot of time with Percy." I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure how he would react to hearing that I spent a lot of alone time with my boyfriend.

"That's great, honey. I really like Percy. He's got a good head on his shoulders." he said before the waitress showed up with our drinks. I was very surprised to hear this from him. I didn't think that he would be so approving of Percy. Maybe this time he was more understanding since he wasn't standing next to his wife. We ordered our food, and then continued our conversation.

"Thank you, dad. That means a lot."

"Don't mention it, Annabeth. I know it may seem like I don't like him, or I might not want you to hang out with him, but we've done enough man-to-man talking for me to realize that he respects you as a person, and wouldn't think of doing anything to hurt you. I hope you guys stay happy together." he said, smiling, before taking a sip of coffee. "So what did you guys do while we were away?"

"Well, we took a trip to Rockaway, which was a lot of fun. We went one night, rented a room and left the next day after spending most of our time on the beach. I saw these earrings in a jewelry store along the boardwalk that were really amazing; one of a kind moon earring with jewels everywhere. They were gorgeous, but when Percy and I walked past the display a second time they were gone. We had a lot of fun, and then he let me crash at his place the night we got back. He took the couch like a gentleman, and let me take his bed." I explained, laughing after I called Percy a gentleman. I continued to tell him about the concert, and our days after the interrogation where Percy and I hung around the city.

"That sounds like a great time. It reminds me of the time that I spent with your mother before we separated." he looked down at his coffee and gazed nostalgically, holding a weak smile on his face.

"Dad, why did you and mom separate after I was born?" I asked.

"Well, honey, your mother and I were in love with each other for an immense amount of time. Once we found out you were conceived Athena started to panic. She would ignore me for weeks at a time, and wouldn't return any of my calls or letters. I was desperate, so I went over to her place, and did the most cliché thing a man can do in order to achieve forgiveness: I sang her a song." he happily admitted.

"No way; you sang a song? To mom?" I asked.

"Yup. I sang Free Bird, by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was the song that was playing the first time we met." dad explained. He had told me how they met, a bunch of times but it never got old hearing it. He was at a club with a bunch of his friends one night, when my mom came in with some of her friends. Apparently she hadn't eaten before going out, so she was starving. My dad and his friends always brought food with them to avoid the high club food prices, and my dad couldn't help but notice my mom sitting alone at a table, clenching her stomach. He grabbed a pastrami sandwich and walked over. He gave her the sandwich, and they hit it off right away, talking about their interests in history. Athena was so knowledgeable about everything, but loved history, just like my dad. They talked about everything from the Romans, to Rasputin. According to him it was love at first sight, and I could believe that; that's how it was with me and Percy. So after years of dating they finally made me, and that's where it all went downhill.

"That's adorable, dad. But did she forgive you after you did that?" I asked.

"She did eventually. It took a while for her to come to terms with the pregnancy, but then we were back to normal. Not too long after we were happy again, her mother and father decided it was best for her to move away and marry this guy out in Vancouver. They told her that I wasn't good enough for her and that I would never amount to anything. About a week before she left me you were born and she would cry every time she saw you. I thought they were tears of joy, but I came to realize that she was devastated that she would never see you again. She left without any notice, like she just dropped everything and left me. I woke up one night to an empty bed and your crying. I just figured that she went to take care of you, but then an hour passed so I went to help. She wasn't there, and she was nowhere to be seen. I held you and cried, after realizing we had been abandoned by the woman I truly loved." he said glumly.

"But if she left without any notice, how do you know why she left?"

"About a month later I received a letter in the mail from her new home in Canada. I still have the letter hidden somewhere safe."

"But why would she leave you her address if her parents didn't want her to see you again?"

"I thought about that for a few years. She left me the address, because she wanted me to see her, and she wanted to see you. I imagine she still does, but I could never bring myself to do it. I didn't want to ruin my relationship with your step-mother, but now I don't really care. I want to see her, and I want you to see her."

"Really? You think she still wants to see us, after all this time?"

"Of course. I sent her a picture of you after I got the letter, and she told me that she would keep it with her forever so she could see you all the time, but she would want to see you when you were ready to see her. She's going to be thrilled to see that you have her eyes." dad said. I blushed a bit after he said that, and my mind was filled with questions I needed to save for another time.

"I want to see her, dad. Maybe once I graduate high school we can take a trip to Canada and visit her." I suggested.

"Bring Percy too." said dad excitedly.

"Bring Percy? Why do you say that?"

"Because I want your mother to see the other man who makes her daughter happy." After he said that we paid the bill, and went on our way to the next place on our list: Central Park.

We got to the park just as a baseball game was starting at one of the open fields. We walked past the spot where we left Jason the night of the concert. I felt chills climb up my back and into my head, but they passed quickly. I wasn't going to let the actions of some punk ruin my day. We sat down in the bleachers and cheered as the team at bat started kicking ass. Once the game shifted into the third inning one of the hitters got a call and started shouting.

"Oh god, I'll be right over. Guys, I have to go, my wife just went into labor." yelled the heavy set baseball player.

"Oh come on, Jim. Just miss the ball a few times and then you can go." yelled the pitcher. Jim didn't even respond and then ran off to his car. The guy with _CAPTAIN_ stitched onto his cap walked in front of the bleachers.

"Okay, people, we're short one player. If y'all want this game to go on, we need a volunteer to hit. Who wants up?" announced the captain. My dad nudged my elbow.

"Come on, Annie. You should go up there. You're a great hitter!" he exclaimed. He wasn't wrong. I was the best hitter on the school team, but I hadn't played since May.

"Are you sure, dad? They might not let a girl on the team."

"Don't worry about that. The catcher is a girl, and so are the outfielders. Besides, no one else is volunteering." he egged on. I guess I had no choice. I didn't want this game to end, plus I figured it would be fun for my dad to see. So I raised my hand, and shouted.

"Put me in, coach!" my outburst gained some laughs, but then I heard a response.

"Come on down, blonde. Can you hit?" asked the captain.

"You're about to find out." I said as I grabbed a bat from behind the cage. I found the perfect bat for me and stepped up to the plate. I saw that the catcher was not a girl, but did have a ponytail. I squared up with the plate and stared at the pitcher, letting him now I was ready for whatever he had to throw at me (pun intended). He went for the wind up and threw the ball way outside of my zone, and the umpire yelled, "Ball one!" Another "ball" was thrown and the field was wild. They were yelling at the pitcher and told him not to let a _girl_ walk the bases. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but I let it pass. The pitcher closed his eyes and glared at the catcher behind me. He threw the ball right where I wanted it to go. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as I analyzed the field, and the bases. There was more a higher concentration of people in right field, so I figured I would be safe if I hit the ball left. I would have to run fast because there was a guy on third, and they would definitely try to get the out at home. My time was running short so I slightly repositioned myself so I could hit into left field, and swung at the ball with all my power. I felt the contact of the ball and the bat vibrate through my body, and ran after I saw the ball flying through the sky. I safely made it to first, and was able to sprint over to second base since no one had retrieved the ball. My only focus was getting to home plate, and my hopes were high once the burly, muscular batter stepped up. Everyone in the field backed up and the pitcher was ready to crawl into a hole after he threw the ball. The guy hit the ball so far over our heads, the umpire pulled out binoculars to see it. I ran to home plate, but the batter slowly walked the bases. He even stopped at one point to tie his shoes. He jogged over to home plate and the crowd went wild. The team I was on continued to score more points, cause more tears in the outfield, and create cheering in the crowds around the field. My dad was the only one I focused on because I knew how proud he was that his little girl could play in the big leagues with twenty to thirty year old men.

The game ended pretty quickly. We managed to crush the other team, with an ending score of 19-5. We would have played all nine innings, but both teams concluded that there was no coming back after such a beat down early on. We settled the game at the bottom of the sixth, and everyone went their separate ways after handshakes and cheers. I met my dad in the stands with a grin on my face that stretched a mile wide. We hugged and he kissed my forehead.

"Annabeth, that was amazing! I told you that you could play with these guys!"

"Yeah yeah, I know, but thanks for having faith in me, dad." I said

After the game, we went to the movie theater to see what films were playing. We bought tickets for "Earth to Echo" and then skipped around to whatever movies that were playing that day. We saw around 4 movies, and managed to work up quite the appetite once we were done. We went out to the car, and noticed that it was still pretty bright out, so we decided to go space cruising. As we were going up the street my dad turned to me. "Pull over really quick, Annie."

"Okay, dad; is something up?" I asked as I found a spot

"Ask Percy if he wants to join us for dinner tonight. Tell him to leave his wallet at home: it's my treat." he said proudly.

"Are you sure, dad? You don't mind him coming along?" I asked, hoping not to discourage his idea through my curiosity.

"I'm positive, Annabeth. Percy's grown on me, and he's like a son to me. Any kid looks like a poster-child when compared to Bobby and Matthew, but Percy's different. He's the right mix of personalities."

"Okay, dad. I'll text him now."

I sent a message to Percy:

"Hey, Perce!"

"Hey Annabeth. :) How's the daddy-daughter day going?"

"It's going great, babe. We just got out of our movie-hopping session. Do you want to come with us to dinner? We're going to this restaurant Ai Fiori. I think it's Italian."

"Is your dad okay with that?"

"He's the one who brought it up."

"Oh…okay. I mean I don't want to spoil your day."

"Oh stop. He really wants you to come. Wear something nice, and we'll be at your place in an hour. He told me to tell you to leave your wallet at home. See you soon. ;)"

"Okay, Annabeth. See you soon."

I put my phone away and we drove home to get ready for dinner. "He said he'll come, dad. I told him we'd be there in an hour."

"Perfect! That should be enough time for us to get ready." he shouted with joy. When we finally got home, we were relieved to see that the rest of the _family_ left for the barbeque.

"I'm going to take a shower first, dad. I won't take too long, I promise." I said as I ran up the steps to enter the bathroom. After about a half hour of dressing, and putting on some make-up, I was ready. I walked out to see how I felt in my shoes, and I noticed my dad was sitting in front of the sink with some papers in his hands.

"Hi, honey. Come here for a minute." he said quietly.

"What's wrong, dad?" I asked.

"Nothing, Annie. I just wanted to give you these to hold onto." He handed me that sheets of paper. "They're the letters I got from your mom and the envelope with her address."

"You're giving them to me? Thank you so much, but why?"

"I realized today that you're old enough to talk to your mom, without our old dad's intervention. Besides, she's no danger to anyone in this world; especially not you." He looked at me and I hugged him tight. I turned back into my room to find a safe place to put the papers. I decided to put them in a shoebox I use for all of my prized possessions: notes and pictures from Percy, some jewelry and random memories that I've collected over the years. I gently placed the letters on top and noticed the envelope's address. I needed to look that up in Google Maps later to see what her home looks like.

After I secured my things, we were out the door, and on our way to Percy's house. Once my dad pulled up to the curb, I ran over to the door and rang the bell. Soon after I heard hard steps coming down the stairs, and then the door flew open. Percy stood there wearing a full dark blue suit, white shirt and a blue striped tie. He clearly made an attempt at fixing his hair because it was slightly less crazy than it normally was, but he still looked amazing. The dark suit made his eyes stand out, and I couldn't help but stare into them. He leaned over to hug me and kissed me cheek before pulling out a box.

"Okay, now remember the boardwalk in Rockaway?" Percy asked me quickly.

"Uh…yeah, of course I do. How could I forget?" I answered after snapping out of my trance.

"Well, I knew that the earrings you saw would make you really happy, and that no one else on that beach deserved them more than you do, so I got them for you." Percy opened up the black box to reveal two silver crescent moons covered in gems. I found myself staring again, and then found them on my ears gleaming in Percy's eyes.

"Oh my gods, Percy, they're beautiful. I thought someone else had bought them, and I lost hope in seeing them again, and now I get to see them every day. I love you." I ended my thanks with a kiss on the lips, and a strong embrace. Then I remembered my dad could probably see us from the car, and I broke the kiss. I took Percy's hand and led him down to the car.

"Hi, Mr. Chase. Thank you for inviting me to dinner with you and Annabeth tonight. I'm really honored." said Percy.

"Hey, Percy, call me Fred. And don't mention it; you're welcome to spend time with me and Annabeth anytime you want, in or out of the house. And I see you gave her the earrings." answered my dad as before he winked at Percy.

"Of course, and she loved them. Good call on bringing them out tonight."

"Wait wait. You two planned this out already?" I interrupted.

"Well the whole day was something I thought of last night. After a while, I decided to contact Percy, and invite him along. I figured that you would enjoy his company, and the gift. He's the one who brought them up. Isn't that right, Percy?" said dad.

"He's right. I was really happy when he called last night, and I asked him if it was okay for me to bring the earrings tonight, and he agreed 100%." added Percy. I was so thankful to have to men in my life who cared about me so much. I loved them both so much that I couldn't even express my feelings into words.

Once we got to the restaurant, dad showed us to the table he reserved for the three of us. We were right in the middle of the restaurant, with Percy sitting to my left, and dad sitting to my right. I sat in my seat, while enjoying my boyfriend and my dad talking and discussing things that came to mind. I couldn't help but hope for this to be my future life: sitting with my two favorite people I the world and having them get along. I finally snapped out of my trance when Percy took my hand, and looked at me.

"You okay, Annabeth? You've been really quiet, and you seem to be gazing." asked Percy.

"Yeah, I'm fine; just thinking about stuff." I replied. I held Percy's hand longer and I smiled. I looked at my dad, and his nodded almost saying that he approved of what I was doing. Not just at that moment, but with myself in general and how I've been running my own life. I was so deep in thought I nearly ignored the fact that the waiter was taking orders already.

"Annabeth, you're gazing again." said dad with a smile on his face.

"Sorry, guys. I'm just really happy to be with you two right now." I answered. I reached out and grabbed their hands. I turned my head and ordered my meal, then returned to the moment I was sharing with my boyfriend and dad.

Dinner went by quickly, and so did desert. Dad even let me and Percy have a drink that night, since he was driving, and he didn't want to drink. When the bill came, my dad looked at it, and placed in his credit card. Percy shifted forward in his chair.

"Mr. Chase, are you sure you don't want me to contribute anything to the bill, or the tip? I feel like I'm making you pay for the whole thing." Percy said worriedly. I was scared that my dad would lash out at him and say that Percy had just insulted him, but I was pretty surprised by his response.

"No, no, don't worry, Percy. It's my treat, and I know that there will be plenty more opportunities in the future for you to pay for meals. And like I said before: call me Fred." said dad. He winked at Percy and called over the waiter to take the check. My dad took his card back from the waiter, and then we were on our way back to Percy's house. We were about half way in between our house and Percy's house, when my dad pulled over.

"Percy is your mom home?" my dad asked.

"Um, no; she's on a business trip. Why?" replied a confused Percy.

"Well, I was in the hospital yesterday visiting a cousin of mine who had broken his leg, and I happened to hear the name Jackson mentioned a few times. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"What? That's probably just a coincidence. I'm sure there are tons of Jackson's in New York City. It could have been anyone, really."

"Eh, you're right. I shouldn't have jumped to a conclusion like that. Sorry." After dad apologized, he went back to driving, and about ten minutes later we pulled in front of Percy's apartment building. Percy pulled himself out of the car, and started walking up to the front door. I quickly turned to my dad and asked if I could walk up with Percy, to make sure he was okay. He told me it was alright so I ran out of the car, and up to Percy's side.

"Hey, Percy!" I yelled.

"Shh, Annabeth; it's late, and I don't want to attract any attention right now." Percy said.

"Okay. Sorry." I quickly whispered. I walked hand in hand with Percy up to his apartment door. As Percy went to put the key in the doorknob I quickly stood in front of him. I held him by his shoulders and pulled him into a deep kiss. I could tell how surprised he was because it took him a few seconds to react to the kiss, but once he knew what was going on, he made sure to tell me that he loved me in the best way he could without using words. He put an arm around my waist and put an arm around my waist and unlocked the door. I stumbled backwards but managed to catch myself. I pulled away from his lips and we ran into the kitchen. We started kissing again, and I managed to position myself in front of the counter so I could hop onto it while maintaining the kiss. Percy moved in closer and moved his hands around my waist again. Then slowly he lowered his right hand to my knee, and slowly moved it up my leg. He had done it in the past, but I was always wearing long pants so he never had contact with my skin. This felt so different, but the tingling sensation I felt while he caressed me made me feel like I was sitting in a vibrating chair made of clouds and pure happiness. But then I realized that Percy might be doing this to look at my underwear, and I felt slightly flushed. I was fine encouraging him to do it by accident but this time it felt weird. I opened one eye to see what he was doing, but sure enough his eyes were closed with both hands back at my waist. I closed my eyes and continued kissing him. After what seemed like hours I felt my phone vibrate in my hand bag. I stopped the kiss momentarily when I realized that it was probably my dad wondering where I was, and then I looked at the time, and we had been kissing for only fifteen minutes. It seemed like we had kissed until the morning and that we would be kissing until the end of the week, but sadly I had to cut the kissing session short. I looked at him and bit my lip after seeing him staring at me with his big, lust-filled, sea green eyes. I wanted to get lost in those eyes, and never find my way home, but I had to physically go home.

"I love you, Annabeth Chase." said Percy.

"I love you, Perseus Jackson." I replied. We exchanged one final kiss and I exited the apartment. I made my way downstairs slowly, in order to digest and savor what had just happened, until I walked into the side of dad's car, and I snapped out of my trance.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" asked dad after he rolled down the window.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired, that's all." I quickly answered.

"Okay, Annie, let's get home now. It's getting late." As he was saying that I was already walking over to my seat, and I closed the door. I guess I actually was tired, because the last thing I remember was leaning back in my seat, and then I woke up in my bed, early the next morning. I checked my phone, and saw that it was 2:30 in the morning, so I put on pajamas, and went back to sleep. That night would be the first of many where I dreamed about being with Percy. I knew that from then on, things between us were only going to escalate more, and more, and more…and I couldn't have been any more excited! 


	12. Apology

Hi, all!

I just wanted to take a minute to apologize for the unnecessarily long delay in the story. Between computer problems, and summer assignments, I haven't had enough time to continue with the story, but FEAR NO LONGER! I will be continuing the stories by the beginning of September. I've also had some writer's block, so I've needed some time to collect my thoughts. Anyways, I hope that those (two) of you people who follow the story will understand.

I also wanna take a minute to say thank you all for reading, and don't be afraid to follow and favorite the story, or write a short review. You can say anything you wish: compliments, criticisms, random "Hello"'s, et cetera.

And now I'm off to sleep! Goodnight all and I'll write again shortly. Bye, for now!

-shecky1998


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